Going for the Gold
by sweetseptemberswimmer
Summary: AH A/U. Edward Cullen is a blind swimmer, just months away from the Paralympic trials. But after one disastrous swim meet, Bella offers to help Edward out. But Edward finds himself falling for Bella as an old family friend plots to keep him from swimming.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay soooo yeah. I just got really bored last night while I was waiting for Micheal Phelps to swim. I thought it would be good to do an Olympic fic, since the Olympics are huge right now. Except, it's not exactly the Olympics... it's the Paralympics. Edward is blind, and he's been training his entire life for the Paralympics, now the only thing in his way of going to the Trials is Nationals. okay, enough babble, you may read now. I couldn't come up with a good title... my editor is out of town, and texting is not helping me much. but this chapter is still dedicated to her.**

**Thanks so much to my awesome editor and best friend, Victoria! She rocks guys. Victoria, this chapter is for you… and so is every other chapter and book I write and you edit.**

Chapter One

I dove into the water, giving three quick dolphin kicks before breaking out into a full butterfly. I did a two hundred before my coach told me to stop.

"You're fly looks good Edward, now try some backstroke."

I despised backstroke. How the hell did a blind swimmer enjoy it? It had too many requirements. I preferred doing things myself. Who wanted a tapper to hit you with a tennis ball three strokes from the wall? I certainly didn't.

Still, I nodded and pushed off the wall. I hit my hand on the lane line twice. I couldn't get away from the line. I kicked hard but then I hit my hand on the other line. I stopped on the other wall. I could feel my coach glaring at me. I pulled my goggles off my face and glared, blindly, right back at him.

"What's wrong Edward?"

"There's a reason why I don't swim backstroke. I'm slow at it, and it sucks."

"Try it again, Edward. It'll strengthen your muscles. You know backstroke is the weakest part of your I.M."

"Who cares? I have the fastest time in the field. I'm the second fastest in the world. Does it matter?"

"If you improved your backstroke, you'd be the fastest Paralympic swimmer in the world. Your backstroke is weak. You need to work on it."

"Fine, Coach. I'll swim it again."

I snapped my goggles back down over my eyes, and shoved off the wall. I briefly considered rolling over and swimming butterfly, but I knew that Coach would kill me. He'd make me go outside and run laps around the aquatics complex, while I was still soaking wet. Who cares if no sensible person is awake at four thirty in the morning? It was cold outside.

I hit the lane again, but this time kept going. After a two-fifty of backstroke, I was stopped again.

"Good. You're backstroke needs work, but at least you're not fighting me about it anymore. Swim a five hundred freestyle and we'll work on starts."

It was like that for another two hours. When practice finally ended, my muscles ached from all the backstroke he had made me swim. If he kept this up, he'd kill me before I even made it to the meet next weekend. Who cares if he was the best coach in the world and had actually trained Phillip Skolz? He was driving me insane.

I quickly toweled off with my Chamois. It didn't take long to dry off. I dressed and headed back to my dorm room to grab a couple more hours of sleep before I had to go to class at nine.

I pushed open the door. I was sure my roommate, Jasper, was still asleep. He had no reason to crawl out of bed at three in the morning and jump in a freezing swimming pool. He was always asking me how I could stand it. I would normally shrug and mumble something about putting up with it.

What surprised me was that he was awake.

"Hey, Edward! How was the melted ice cube today?" it was his nickname for the poo.l It wasn't my fault the water was so cold.

"Fine. Warmer than usual, but maybe that was because Coach actually opened the doors to try and bring down the air temperature." I sat down on my bed and laid back. My muscles were throbbing.

"Dude, you look sore. How hard did he work you?"

"He made me swim a mile and a half of backstroke. I hate backstroke. How could he try to kill me that way?" I moaned. I was just playing it up. I was never this dramatic with either of my siblings.

"Get some more sleep. You were up till one writing your essay. Or rather, dictating me. You need to get a Braille keyboard. That might make it easier. I wouldn't loose as much sleep."

"You'd still have to edit it."

"Editing's easy. Writing not one, but two, ten page essays, is hard."

"Whatever. I'm going to sleep."

I rolled over and fell asleep.

I woke up an hour later. My muscles had stopped hurting. I grabbed my clothes and got dressed before I took my backpack and one of my books out side. I decided to kill time by reading in the sun.

I couldn't focus on my book. I was too keyed up. I had Nationals in a few days and I didn't want to read. I wanted to go over stroke technique in my mind. If I didn't focus on school, I would definitely fail. My parents may never have gotten mad at me, but if I flunked out of a college I had begged them to let me go to… they would kill me.

I went back to the book.

Ten minutes later, the alarm set into my watch beeped. I had seven minutes to get to class, which was on the other side of campus.

I shoved my book into my backpack and stood up.

I was completely absorbed in my break down of proper Texas turn technique, that I hardly noticed when I collided into someone.

We both fell; I could hear the books thump to the ground.

"Oh, my God. I am so sorry. Are you okay?" the girl apologized.

"It's fine. I'm fine" I felt around for her books and handed them to her.

"No… but I mean… I tripped and I fell and-," she stammered. I stood up and pulled her to her feet.

"I'm used to falling. I can't see where I'm going. It doesn't matter." I shrugged.

"Oh. I didn't know," she rambled.

"Honestly, it's no big deal. I'm used to it."

"You're blind?" she asked.

"Yes."

"You swim, don't you?" It wasn't as much as a question as it was a statement.

"Yes."

"Oh. That's cool."

My watch beeped again. I had three minutes.

"Are you late?" she asked.

"No. I still have three minutes and my class is right there."

"Oh. Okay. Well… I better get to class too. It was nice meeting you…" her voice trailed off, allowing me to tell her my name.

"Edward."

"What, you don't have a last name?"

"Edward Cullen. May I ask yours?"

"Bella Swan."

Bella. It was pretty, and it suited her.

"I have to go," she mumbled shyly after a moment.

"All right then," I sighed and turned into class.

**That's it for the first chapter. I thought that was a good one. It's Olympic time and everyone loves the Olympics. I love the Paralympics even more though, so I decided to make a story about that. I mean, a half blind swimmer should. Being an all blind, or even half blind athlete is extremely hard. you have to overcome everything. Nobody can trust me when I'm on the relay because I got DQ'd one time because of my hlaf blindness. There is just so much steryotyping. I can't stand it. I got harrassed for half a school year becasue of it. But it's still amazing to watch what these people can do. A completely different world and they are all human. Edward's awesome! Okay, Jasper's cooler but still… I can't wait till 2012. four years to get ready for the Olympics. Crap I have swim practice. Watch my coach make me swim a thousand butterfly.  
**

**I'm not expecting a large response to this… sooo if I get at least three reviews I'll update again. I do like this one more than Finding My Place but… that might be because of the swimming. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello my readers. I am very tired from watching the Olympics every night, and from being sick but who cares? Michael Phelps is awesome, but Phillip Skolz is even better! Too bad the Paralympics aren't till September. or at least, thats what my mum says... shes probably lying. I have no clue. anyway Maybe swimming will take place on my birthday, and Phillip Skolz'll swim. Right, serious wishful thinking right there. **

**So… here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. **

Chapter Two

I found myself unable to concentrate during the lecture my English professor was giving. My mind wasn't on my butterfly though. It was on Bella. I couldn't stop thinking about her. It was going to drive me insane if this kept up.

After English, I went back to my dorm room. Jasper was all ready there.

"Hey Edward, your brother and I are going to the gym, you want to go with us?"

"Sure." Sometimes I wondered if Jasper only put up with me because I was his best friend's brother. I didn't care right now though. I did need to go to the gym since I didn't have my normal two practices today, like I would any normal Wednesday. Coach was trying to go easy on me what with Nationals this weekend, considering I wouldn't be swimming against another blind person like I would in the Trials.

Emmett showed up at our room ten minutes late. Only my brother would do that.

"Hey Eddy!" Oh god. I was going to kill him for that one. "Alice tells me you met Bella."

"Call me 'Eddy' again, _Emmy_, and I'll make you regret the day you were born," I hissed.

"Call me 'Emmy', and make sure you wish you were deaf."

"Shut up, you two!" Jasper shouted. "God, even Rose and I don't fight like that."

"Whatever man. That's just cause you don't have see her anymore."

"Not really, even when our parents made us share a bedroom."

"You two shut up. You're going to drive me crazy. Can we just go?"

I headed for the door and instead ran into the wall.

"You know, you could've told me where the door was."

"Two feet to the right," Jasper told me. I felt along the wall for the knob and turned it. "Quit being rude to your brother so we can go."

I knew Emmett was pouting, and I knew he stopped. He could never keep that up for long. I could here him start running across the little room. He flew right past me coming out of the door.

"Come on, pool boy. Don't hold us up!"

I groaned and followed after my obnoxious brother.

Jasper's alarm clock woke me up. At first, I was completely freaked out. I thought I had missed practice. Then I remembered that I didn't have practice today, and that I didn't have to leave until after lunch.

"Jasper you idiot, you woke me up two hours early." I groaned, rolling over.

"If you say so." Jasper mumbled. He was still half asleep.

I couldn't get back to sleep. I pulled myself up and got dressed. I didn't have much to do today. I didn't have to go to classes today. I was catching a plane to Pennsylvania in a few hours.

I wanted to hang around my dorm room and get ahead on my homework, but I couldn't. I was too keyed up. Without practice to calm my nerves, I had no way to channel my nerves into energy or anything.

Finally, I couldn't sit still any longer. I went for a walk around campus, trying to stretch out and keep my mind off of the meet. I was swimming five different events, and if I made it to finals in all of them that would be ten swims over the course of three days. That would be crazy.

I wasn't paying attention, and I ran right into my sister.

"Ow! Edward, watch where you're going."

"Alice, you of all people should know I can't technically _watch _where I'm going," I joked.

"You know what I mean. Be careful. The next time you run into someone, it'll be one of the football players, and you won't get scolded so much as get your face rearranged."

"If you say so," She had someone with her. "Alice, who's your friend?"

"What? Oh! Edward, I believe you've all ready met Bella. Bella, Edward."

I held out my hand and she shook it.

"We were just going to get some lunch," my sister chirped. "Do you want to come?"

I nodded. "Lunch sounds good right now."

Alice started talking a mile a minute, explaining everything, both to me and to Bella.

"Edward's a swimmer, he has a huge meet tomorrow and he's really nervous. Edward what's that meet called? Oh that's right. It's Nationals. Bella's a writer. She's trying to get her English degree and-,"

"Alice, tone it down a bit. No one is going to be able to understand you soon."

Alice didn't. Since when does she listen to her little brother? She kept running her mouth until we sat down and she was completely occupied by eating. I loved my sister, but sometimes she could drive me crazy.

We were all silent for a minute, then Bella asked softly, "What strokes are you swimming this weekend?" she sounded genuinely interested.

I was taken aback for a second. Most people didn't ask that, it was normally something like 'what do you swim?' No one ever shared a real interest in it. But I warmed up fast. I never showed much interest in Alice's friends, but this one was different.

"Butterfly, I.M., and freestyle."

"How long of a distance for each?" she sounded likme she knew what she was talking about, to a degree.

Now she was really starting to appeal to me.

"Both a two hundred and a four hundred I.M., hundred fly, and a two hundred fly, and a hundred freestyle."

"Wow. Those are hard events."

"They are," I nodded. "I never expected to qualify for freestyle. I'm not very good at it. I prefer butterfly."

Most people would normally freak out when I would say that. 'But butterfly's the hardest stroke!' and 'you like butterfly? It's so hard. Breaststroke is so much better.' But Bella was different. She just took it in stride.

"Butterfly's a hard stroke, but I'm sure you're good at it." I've always preferred backstroke, myself."

"Backstroke? Really? I have trouble with it."

"I'll help you sometime." She promised. "Maybe after your meet."

"That sounds like a good idea, actually. I'll have to take you up on that offer."

"It's really not that hard. Maybe you could help me with my butterfly, though? I just can't get the arms right. It's so annoying."

"I can do that. It's really not that hard. It's all just a natural rhythm that you just have to work at. Once you get it, it's hard to screw up."

"Then it's a deal, I'll help you with backstroke, and you help my butterfly."

It was quiet for a minute. I was thinking. She swam. I didn't know how well or for how long, and I knew she didn't swim here, but maybe she had swam for a team back in her hometown. It would make sense.

"How long have you swam for?" she asked.

"More than sixteen years. Since I was four, I suppose. You?"

"I swam for six years back home. But then it stopped appealing to me as much. Sometimes I wish I hadn't given it up."

I nodded. "That makes sense." It was queit for a minute/ My watch beeped, breaking the silence. I stood up. "I'm sorry Alice, but I have to get going. My plane leaves in about an hour and a half and mom and dad should be here soon to pick me up." I nodded at Bella. "It was nice to see you again, Bella."

"It was," she agreed. "Good luck at Nationals. I hope you do well."

"Thank you. Bye Alice."

I turned and headed back towards my dorm. I jogged up the stairs to my room and grabbed my backpack and my swim gear off my bed.

I met up with my parents in the office. I didn't talk much on the way to the airport. Mostly for two reasons. One, I was way too nervous to even try and calm my self down, and two, I had Bella on my mind, again.

She actually liked swimming. Well, maybe not like it, but she wasn't bored to death by it like most people. She had swam for a few years, and she knew at least a little bit about what I was talking about. It was a nice change compared to what I was used to.

My mother started talking to me, trying to keep my mind off the meet. My coach would be there tomorrow. He was flying out later tonight. Despite my mother's best efforts, I couldn't keep my mind off the water. Or even off Bella. I tried to shake her out of my head, but I didn't do a very good job. Her memory was firmly lodged in my head.

My mother asked about college, how I was enjoying Loyola, about my roommate, everything. Her inquisitions took all of twenty minutes up of the plane ride. I gave her brief answers, and eventually she stopped. I knew she was trying, but the only thing that could help my nerves was getting in the water.

Thankfully, we landed soon. I wouldn't have to wait much longer to get in the pool and try to work through some of the tension.

I fell asleep earlier than usual that night. I had to be up at four to warm up before the prelims.

That was the first night I dreamed about Bella.

**Yay! I actually got this up. That's actually what it's like for me before Divisionals or Championships or J.O.'s I'm a nervous wreck, and I don't want to do anything but conserve my energy, but I end up wasting more than I should, then I swim like the best race of my life because I so pumped up on nervous energy. I didn't do that at Divisionals this year though. I totally freaked out and I couldn't concentrate. I hope I don't do that at PennState this year (if I make it) I need like a thirty in a fifty fly to go. Actually, not that hard. It's a four second drop, subtract two seconds from the blocks, and the two seconds from training harder and getting faster, that's a thirty right there. **

**I know this took forever. I'm sorry. I've been sick and sore, and I've barely felt up to checking my emails. that made me all dizzy. I feel better now. I'll try and post two chapters when I get home, just to make you all happy.  
**

**Review, please! Let's see, I got six reviews for the last chapter, so if I can get hmmm… six reviews for this one or more, I'll post the next chapter, which is the meet, of this story when I get home from the beach. I know this wasn't the best chapter, actually the next one I think is pretty good. But can you all find it in your hearts to click a tiny little button and type a few words? I would love it if you guys could! All right, I have to leave, my mum wants me to check and make sure everything's packed. Laterz!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ugh, I know this took forever. I had all these ideas for this actual novel I'm writing and algebra homework and god knows what else. Don't be angry. I had to do a whole week's worth of Algebra in one day, so that I could go to swim practice and riding and field hockey without getting behind. **

Chapter Three

I woke up early the following morning. Too early. I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. I knew I would never be able to, though. I was too nervous. I was swimming against the best swimmers in the world. Even my Paralympic meets didn't make me this nervous.

Finally, I rolled off the bed and found my way to the bathroom. I stuffed my Speedo and drag suit into my backpack, along with my Lazr Racer.

I pulled my warm up sweats on, before pulling my iPod out of the waterproof case I had in one of my backpack's pockets. I fiddled with one of the buttons before putting the earphones in my ears. Instantly, Debussy's Clair de Lune started to calm my nerves.

My mother was awake by the time I went back into the room. I could hear her moving around, flitting from one thing to another like a hummingbird.

"Good morning sweetheart. We'll leave in a few minutes."

I nodded in the direction her voice came from.

My watch alarm went off just then. It was four in the morning.

My mother was trying to wake my father up. I could here his protests.

Twenty minutes later, my parents and I were in the car, heading towards the aquatic center. My stomach kept knotting and unknotting.

"You brother and sister are going to come up later," my mother said. "They promised to be here."

"Are Jasper and Rose coming, too?" the one thing I didn't need. An audience.

"I think Alice mentioned that they were coming. And a new friend. Bella, I think."

_Crap_. Bella, Alice, Jasper, Rose, Emmett, _and _my parents? This was not going to go over well. If I screwed up, Emmett was going to ridicule me for the rest of my life.

The car stopped and the engine cut off. "We're here."

I climbed out of the car and slowly found my way downstairs. The meet started at six. I had half an hour to warm up before I had to change suits and go over race strategies with my coach.

My coach was already there. He had flown out two days before. He led me towards where his stuff was, and had me put my backpack down. He told me where the locker rooms were, and I went off to change.

When I came out, I found my way back to where my coach was. He had me get in the water, and swim the easiest set I've done in ten years. He told me all we were going to do is warm up my muscles, not kill me.

By the end of the set, Coach had me get out of the water and dry off. I headed back towards the bathroom to put my Lazr Racer on before my first event.

I ran into three people on the way. Wasn't my fault I couldn't see where I was going.

It took forever to pull the suit on, and by the time I did, the meet had already started. Thankfully, I wasn't supposed to swim for another hour, at least. I was good.

I pulled my warm up pants back on, and my jacket. The air was hot and sticky around the pool, but that didn't stop my body temperature from dropping as I got in and out of the water.

When I finally got back over towards the place I was sitting, Coach started lecturing me. Again.

I pulled out my iPod and stuffed the earphones in my head, drowning him out. At least, until he reached over and pulled them out.

"Edward Cullen, are you listening to me?"

"Nope," I popped the 'p'.

"Why the hell not?" he asked. He wasn't angry. Just… put out.

"'Cause, I've heard it all before. Believe me, if I wanted to hear it, I wouldn't be listening to Debussy right now."

"Can you remember the proper way to do a Texas turn? I only taught you how to do it last month."

"Hit the wall, tuck you legs, snap around, and go. Don't breath. Coach, I've got it. You've taught me well. I don't need to hear it _again_." I grinned.

"It can always benefit you. You have trouble concentrating and-."

I took this as an excuse to put my earphones back on. "Shut up Coach, you're ruining my concentration."

I could tell I'd finally annoyed him to the point where he wouldn't bother anymore. Good. Wasn't I lectured enough in practice? I needed relaxation time before a big race. He wasn't helping.

I was completely lost in my music. I hardly noticed when Coach told me I had ten minutes until he pulled my earphones out again.

"Edward! Quit listening to that crap and get your butt over to the blocks! Your heat starts in five minutes."

He led me towards the blocks. I took the towel he handed me and dried off the block before kicking off my crocks and pulling my warm-ups off. I shoved one of my caps on my head before snapping my goggles down over my eyes. I pulled my second cap over my first one, to create less drag.

When the starter blew the whistle, I climbed up on the block. I listened closely as he told us to take our marks….

_Beep_.

I shoved off, slicing through the water in streamline. I took six fast dolphin kicks before breaking the surface in full fly. It was only two laps. Not a hard race. My only problem was focusing on counting my strokes.

I hit the wall at the opposite end, executing a perfect Texas turn. _Take that, Coach!_ I thought smugly. I had one lap left.

I shoved up out of the water, taking a breath…

And then I heard _her_ voice.

Not really her voice, just a faint memory. The memory from a few days ago when I met her outside my English class.

I tried not to think about it. I had to focus. I was twelve strokes from the wall….

But just _knowing_ she was out there in the crowd, with my brother and sister and parents and all their crazy friends, cheering for me, was just enough to make me loose concentration.

Four strokes, three strokes, two strokes, one.

I slammed into the Omega timing board with as much force as I could. I knew my time wasn't going to be what I wanted it to. If I hadn't lost focus back there… maybe I could've broken a record. But I did. And I didn't break a record. And now I was stuck with a time that was slower than what I wanted and I would be stuck with that time until my next Paralympic qualification meet.

I pulled my caps and goggles off before I pulled myself out of the water when I was sure everyone had finished. I grabbed my Chamois and started drying off before I pulled my warm ups back on and stuffed my ear phones back in my ears. I didn't need another lecture, and maybe if Coach thought I was busy concentrating on my last race of the day… maybe he wouldn't bug me too much.

Yeah. Like that _brilliant _idea ever works.

Coach came and led me back to where we were sitting.

"What happened out there?" he asked.

I groaned and switched my iPod off.

"I choked. I lost concentration. End of story."

"Twelve strokes from the wall? Edward, you _never_ do that not even when you had to swim against Phillip Skolz himself last month. What's gotten into you?"

_My sister's amazing new friend who just happened to be out there cheering for me with my family. She just happens to know everything about swimming that I know, maybe even more._ But of course, I couldn't say that.

"I don't know. Maybe I got tired. Maybe I didn't warm up enough."

"I know you warmed up enough. That set was simple enough to warm anyone up. Even Michael Phelps. Don't tell me it didn't warm you up right."

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not Michael Phelps. Far from it, actually."

"True. Michael Phelps wouldn't have '_choked_' out there, as you put it."

"I promise it won't happen during my four hundred. I stay completely focused this time."

"You better."

"What was my time?"

"Hmm?"

"What time did I get?"

"Oh. A fifty seven oh one."

"Fifty seven oh _one_? One hundredth of a freaking second?"

"I'm sorry Edward. Maybe if you hadn't lost concentration you would've beaten your goal time and gotten a fifty six like you wanted…." He was mocking me, now.

"I'll remember that for next time," I replied shortly.

I pulled my iPod back out, and concentrated entirely on the music. What seemed like seconds later, I was back over at the blocks, pulling my caps and goggles on before wiping the block off again and climbing up.

"Swimmers, take your marks…"

_Beep_.

The first one hundred was just like my hundred fly, quick and powerful, my turns precise and accurate.

I hit the wall and turned quickly, ending up on my back.

My backstroke was the best it'd ever been. The strokes long and powerful. I flipped onto my stomach right before the wall, thankful that my stroke count was accurate.

The second fifty was slightly harder than the first. Not that I began to lose concentration again, but my breaths began to get shorter and less even.

I turned and started breaststroke, my kicks powerful, propelling myself forward like the way I had been told a frog would.

I only had one hundred meters left after the breaststroke. One hundred meters of flat out sprinting…

I flipped and shoved off the wall, making my dolphin kicks short enough that I could come up for air quickly.

Four strokes away from the wall. Five meters left…

I slammed into the timing board, my breathing heavier than technically necessary. I supposed, through my nerves, I had gone faster than intentional. I'd be feeling this one tomorrow morning….

I climbed out and dried off. I slipped a bit on the wet tiles.

"Edward!" My Coach yelled. I turned towards where his voice came from.

"That was brilliant!" he continued, leading my ecstatically back towards the bleachers. "That's the best I've ever seen you swim it! Your backstroke looked perfect, like Ryan Lochte, almost. Why can't you do that in practice? How did you feel out there? Tired, sore…?"

"I felt good coach, a little tired though. It's hard to believe it's not even ten in the morning yet… it's not ten yet, right?" I asked. "I don't know. Maybe because I'm never put under that kind of pressure in practice."

"No, it's not ten yet. It's nine fifteen. Maybe I should put you under pressure in practice. Maybe make you go to the gym and run four miles on the treadmills before you get in the water every morning…"

"No thanks, Coach. I value my sleep too much for that." I grinned, delicately placing my iPod into the case. "I gotta get going. My parents want to take my siblings and I out to breakfast." I paused. "What was my time?"

"four minutes, nine and a half seconds. You crushed your goal time on that one. Get going kid, I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early. You might want to warm down first. Go change out of that suit. You don't want to wear it out too fast. For what it cost…" I nodded.

"I've got three others, but this is my one of my personal favorites. I'll go change."

I went and changed. This time, I didn't run into anybody. Either nobody got in my way, or I had finally figured out how to make it to the locker room without killing someone.

I changed back into my Speedo and drag suit, before heading out towards the warm uo pool. Coach stopped me, gave me a short easy set, and let me get in and swim.

I practically floated across the water, just letting my muscles unknot and cool off. The water felt pleasant, not at all like the water back home.

I groaned when I climbed out. My muscles protested being put back to standard work.

I pulled my warm ups back on and headed out through the locker room.

I was ambushed by my family.

"Way to go, little bro!" Emmett yelled, wrapping me up in a bear hug. I struggled to get free, punching at every part of him.

"Emmett! I can't breath!" I gasped.

He let me go.

I could tell everyone was excited. Even Rosalie, who had never acted to warmly towards me. But maybe she was just pleased to see Emmett in a good mood.

Alice was dancing around, acting like a tiny pixie.

My mother wrapped me in a hug, pressing her face into my wet hair.

"Good job honey. What do you want to do now?"

I grinned.

"Can we get something to eat?"

**Lol. Edward is just like me. I would soooooooo screw up in a meet like that if I had just met someone I totally loved without realizing it. I love doing the double cap thing, too. But the caps are expensive, well silicon anyway.and after every meet, i HAVE to get soemthing to eat. like right now. I'm starving, and i like, just ate. how insane is that?  
**

**I can't believe I updated. I guess I'm back into swim mode (yay!) I mean, how awesome is swimming with two of my favorite coaches ever? Oh I just found out I get to baby-sit one of my friends tomorrow night. I get money for hanging around and talking about twilight. How awesome is that? my friend looooooooooves Edward! Who doesn't? anyway, Edward is four seconds slower than Michael Phelps in the Four hundred I.M. and one second slower (I think…) in the 100 I.M. seriously, if Phelps did get a 50 something at the Olympics, tell me. I'm tired and I don't want to look it up online. I finally get to sleep in tomorrow. I don't want to be up on the computer all night long making my muscles hurt more.**

**Okays, before I crash at the computer desk. Night guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

yawns hey guys

**yawns hey guys. Guess what! I'm sick. **_**again.**_** It's all these extra swim practices I swear…. My first paralympic qualification meet isn't until MARCH! And I have four YEARS to make the paralympic team. I have plenty of time to get ready. I see no point in my coaches trying to commit homicide in the second week of practices. **

**I know, these chapters take FOREVER to post and all…. I have a lot of homework, and I have all these tests to study for, and I have to write an editorial and a play and all this other crap. Dude, I'm not even in high school yet! Can't they wait, like, a year? I mean, high school level classes for twelve year old kids is not the best idea they've ever had. Screw all eighth grade teachers….**

**Okay, basically a a filler chapter. Gives you a better insight to everyone's pasts…. **

Chapter Four

My parents took us out to breakfast right after they checked the finals sheet that was posted by the door.I'd made it to fianls in both events. By the time we all finally got to the parking lot, I was starving. I'd barely had anything to eat before we left the hotel room.

Everyone else was hungry too, by the sound of it. Having swim meets at six in the morning was definitely not the brightest idea. It didn't give you enough time to eat something, and really let your metabolism break it down.

Alice led me through the restaurant towards the table. I really hated not having a guide dog anymore. My old one, Shadow, had been retired right before I left for college.

Alice told me where to sit, and she slid into a chair next to mine. She had Bella sit on my other side.

Everyone else was talking idly about stuff going on with school and such.

"Um… Alice?" I heard Bella ask Alice.

"Yeah?"

"I don't mean to sound sort of… straightforward or anything, but how come you and your siblings don't really look alike?"

"What? Oh! We were all adopted years and years ago. Emmett was… like three or something, when Esme and Carlisle found him in the forest. It looked as if he had been abandoned and mauled by a bear. They never could contact his parents. I was adopted when I was like… six months old. I'd been abandoned by my crazy parents."

"What about you, Edward?" Bella asked quietly.

"Hmm? Oh. My parents were… murdered when I was four years old. The psycho people tied me up and forced me to watch them. I still don't understand why they attacked my parents. All I know is that my parents both did something for the government. Some unrecognized bureau or another." I mumbled. I still found it hard, after nearly fourteen years, to think about my parents. Even now I still have vivid nightmares about it.

"What made you really want to start swimming?"

"Er… after Carlisle and Esme adopted me… I didn't cope well. The nightmares were extremely vivid and… it wasn't that I didn't like my new parents, I just didn't understand why they had been killed. And… I struggled to cope with it." Another question with a difficult answer. "A therapist suggested I be put in some sort of sport, to keep my mind off my parents. I wasn't one to hang around with others my age. They just didn't seem… mature enough to understand anything I tried to do. Finally Esme signed me up for swimming. I'd known how to swim for years, but when she explained that this was competitive swimming, and how at a meet you had to swim your fastest no matter what… I don't know. I just sort of clicked with the sport. I would beg my coach to train me harder than the others. I knew it would make me so tired that I wouldn't have the nightmares. It made it easier to sleep, when I was dead tired like that."

"Oh. That makes sense," my family was hardly paying attention. They'd all heard this before. "But you said… those people made you _watch _your parents murder… if you don't mind me asking… you weren't born blind, then?"

What was it with these questions? No one ever asked me these questions. Ever. It was never anything I was willing to talk about. But… with Bella it just seemed so easy to talk. Even when some brave soul asked me about something that had happened to me, I normally wouldn't answer.

"No, actually, I wasn't. When I was nine years old, I was in a car accident. We all were, actually. The car hit the left side, breaking the glass in the windows. Glass went everywhere, including right into my eyes. I just happened to be sitting on the left side of the car, and… the glass ripped at my eyes and cut my face and neck all up, not to mention all the bones that were broken. Many people were surprised that I lived, really…." One of my least favorite memories. I remembered opening my eyes the following morning after countless surgeries and not being able to see anything. I'd cried for hours like a two year old kid. I just couldn't accept everything that had happened to me. First my parents, then my sight. How much more was I going to have to lose before I gained something? I'd spent a year pondering all that, and when I was finally able to swim again, I'd swam harder than I'd ever had, practicing, as I had learned years before, hard enough to make my body and mind so tired, that I couldn't possibly linger on anything but the desire to sleep.

"That really… sucks," she finished lamely.

I nodded. "It's easier now, though. I don't find it… as difficult anymore to deal with things."

"Edward, breakfast is here," my mother told me. I could feel the heat from the plate the server had put in front of me. I reached out until my fingers brushed the glass of the cup of water they'd set in front of me. I picked it up and drained it in nearly one gulp. I hadn't realized how thirsty I had been until that moment.

The rest of breakfast passed quickly. Bella and I talked about other things- school mostly. She was a freshman, too. I marveled at the way some of the others treated her. Emmett treated Bella like an older brother would treat a sibling. He constantly teased her, and she put up with it. Alice hardly stopped planning a shopping trip with her. Rosalie didn't really seem interestd or uninterested in her. She would ask Bella polite questions here and there, but other than that, mostly stayed away from including Bella in her conversation. Obviously, I was the only one who hadn't met Bella until this past week.

I went home after breakfast and crashed on one of the beds. I still had plenty of races this weekend, and finals tonight. I needed to be in top shape for all my races.

I woke up when my wristwatch beeped four times. I couldn't believe I'd slept four five hours and I had an hour before I had to go back to the pool.

I rolled off the bed and went to back my swim stuff up. I ran into the wall several times, cursing aloud profoundly the fifth time I did so.

Finally, I found my way to the bathroom. I pulled my Razr off the wall and packed it in my bag. My other Lzr Racers still hung on the wall, where I had hung them the night before. I had had to memorize where I'd put each suit. I used different suits for different races, and my Razr was my most prized suit. I only used it for the finals of any event, especially nation-wide events like Nationals or the Trails.

I tossed on a clean pair of warm up sweats over my Speedos.

I found my way back into the entry way. My parents were waiting, along with my siblings. Alice was talking on the phone; I could hear her one sided conversation, and Emmett was bouncing on the balls of his feet. I could feel the vibrations every time he hit the floor.

My mother led me out side to the car. I climbed in the backseat with my siblings. Alice was still talking on the phone.

\

I pulled out my iPod to drown her out. I had to re-swim the same events as I had swum this morning.

I thought back to this morning, and when my coach had said he'd see me tomorrow instead of tonight. I prayed he would come. There was no way I'd make it to the blocks in time for my race. I'd probably fall in the water first.

Sure enough, when I got to the pool, my coach was right there, or at least that's what Alice told me. He was waiting by the door, because I almost ran into him. He held out a hand to stop me from crashing into him.

He led me down the stairs and onto the pool deck. He allowed me just enough time to put my struff down and pull my sweats off before he had to forcefully drag me to the warm up pool.

He gave me an easy set, just something to warm my muscles up.

I climbed out after the set, and quickly dried off. My fly event was first, just as it had been this morning. I gave Coach the same goal time as I had beforehand. I only had to takje off two hundredths of a second….

I went and changed quickly. I didn't have a lot of time before the event.

I was seeded first for the hundred. When the event was up, Coach led me to lane four. I loved being put in lane four, especially in a field of eight swimmers. I was right in the middle, and I could rely on the waves from the other swimmers to help my stroke.

I climbed up when the starter blew the whistle. I concentrated hard, trying to keep myself completely focused.

The starter hit the button, and I took off, entering the water smoothly.

I took six long, fast dolphin kicks before breaking the surface, taking stroke after stroke of an effortless fly.

I hit the wall with precision, turning without taking a breath. Eighteen strokes from the wall, my head popped up, taking my first breath of the hundred.

I took another breath five strokes from the wall, and when my head reentered the water, I forced myself to swim faster than ever, making my last five strokes count.

I slammed into the wall, hitting the timing board as hard as I could. I pulled my goggles off my eyes before pulling my caps off, too.

I scrambled out of the water, rubbing at my face with my arm, trying to get the feeling of the goggles off my eyes.

I walked back the way I came towards the blocks, random people I didn't know congratulating me on my swim.

I sat back down behind my coach. He was talking away excitedly about my swim. I interrupted him before he started talking a whole other language once he had exhausted virtually every word in English.

"What was my time?"

"A fifty five flat. Great swim really. You placed first. You beat your only real competition by more than a second."

_Sweet_. "See what letting me use my own mental preparation does to my swims? I took two seconds off my time."

"If you say so Edward."

I sat there for another hour, barely listening as the announcers rattled off the results for the event after mine- the eight hundred free.

After the eight hundred was the fifteen hundred free. I had more than a half hour to prepare for my four hundred I.M.

Coach led me back over to the blocks right before my event. I snapped my cap down over my head before pulling on my goggles and my second cap.

I climbed up on the block when the starter instructed to do so.

I leaned forward in the starting position, and when the starter when off, shoved off hard.

I broke out in a perfect butterfly, feeling better than I ever had, taking stroke after endless stroke, for a hundred meters.

I did a perfect fly to back turn, or at least, it was perfect by my definition.

I stroked hard stroke after stroke on backstroke. My flip turn was a little close, but both my feet hit the wall at the same time, and I couldn't get DQ'd.

I kept swimming, hitting my hand hard on the wall on my back to breast turn.

I did a long, fast underwater pullout, and quickly stroked through the water, barely pausing long enough to drag air through my lungs before shoving my head back into the water.

I choked hard on a mouthful of water doing this, barely four strokes from the wall for my breast to free turn. I gasped for breath, my stroke slowly just slightly enough so that I could pull in more oxygen to my burning lungs.

I couldn't do a Texas turn for breast to free. My lungs were dying for air.

I tried to breath every third stroke, but it felt like my lungs were going to burst, and everytime I turned my head to the side, it didn't feel like I was getting enough oxygen to make my body move fast enough.

I flipped and rocketed off the wall, my brain screaming for more oxygen as water flooded into my lungs from my nose.

I breathed on my breakout stroke, something I hadn't done for years, but instead of air swirling into my lungs, it was more water.

I coughed under water in a desperate attempt to clear my lungs before my next stroke. Four strokes from the wall, and I was still dying for air. I breathed harder than necessary, dying for more oxygen. More water just kept going into my mouth and my lungs as I carelessly breathed to the side in a dire attempt for more air.

Three strokes from the wall and more water just seemed to flood into my lungs, making me choke underwater. I kicked hard, in a desperate attempt to reach the wall before the water suffocated me….

I hit the wall, hard. My head pooped up, and, choking and spluttering, I gasped dizzily for breath.

I pulled my self out of the water, and, clutching the block for balance, tried desperately to even my breathing, and cough up the pool water at the same time.

I found my way to the glass wall, and pressed my head against the glass wall, still coughing up water. The cold glass felt good on my skin, cooling down my flesh as I coughed harder.

I felt myself sliding to the ground, still coughing and choking. I heard several voices scream out in surprise before I blacked out.

**Not the dramatic ending I was hoping for but… after a week of planning, it will have to suffice.**

**A tiny bit of a repeat of the last chapter, not as much of a filler as I thought it would be. I only really planned like the first twelve paragraphs. Everything else just sort of came to me when I was thinking about last night's practice. That really happened to me… I just didn't pass out at the end. Instead, I spent, like, twenty minutes trying to get all the water out of my lungs. Not a lot of fun….**

**Let's see… umm… I'm not going to beg for reviews. I've grown out of that. but if you do reviews I promise to post the next chapter tomorrow, and if you don't review, you'll still get the next chapter tommorrw. I just can't promise that you'll get a chapter next weekend. I'm a little behind on my posting for Finding My Place. Don't kill me if you don't get a chapter next weekend. I'm not a vampire, so I can't stay up all night and type away for you.**

**Night guys!**


	5. Chapter 5

Morning everyone

**Morning everyone. yawn so tired, it's not even funny. I got like, four hours of sleep last night…. Not fun. I was dying to know what was happening in this really good book, but I had to go to sleep and… yeah. it was good, though.  
**

**0kay, here's the next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews, guys!**

Chapter Five

I was aware that I was lying down on something hard. It wasn't the tiles that made up the pool deck, but smoother.

Like wood.

The air wasn't humid, either. That was another indication I wasn't on the pool deck anymore.

I groaned. Every breath made my throat and lungs burn, and my head was throbbing. I was shivering, too.

Cold fingers clutched at my wrist, probing for a pulse. I figured it was my father.

I blinked my eyes open, figuring my parents would see it instantly. I focused completely on keeping my breathing shallow, though, not trying to make my throat ache too badly. Focusing on that made it easier to ignore the sighs of relief basically everyone around me let out.

I groaned again and tried to sit up, but my father's cold hand was instantly at my shoulder, keeping me down.

"Just lay still for a minute, son," he told me calmly.

I nodded weakly before breaking into a fit of coughing that racked my insides and made my lungs ache even more. I could tell everyone standing around me was staring, and they were frightened.

Someone handed me and dry towel. I smiled weakly, thankful, and sat up to wrap it around my shoulders. The bench I was sitting on was right against a wall, and I leaned against it, keeping the towel wrapped tightly around me. I was still shivering.

Someone handed me another towel. I draped it over my lap. It helped a little. I wasn't shivering as much anymore. My throat just hurt, as did my lungs.

"How do you feel, Edward?" my farther asked me. I heard the bench creak slightly as he sat down on it.

"Sore," I croaked. My voice sounded like someone had taken sandpaper to my vocal cords.

"Where?" my father asked.

Someone sat down on my other side, and wrapped warm arms around me.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," my mother reprimanded gently.

"Mom! You're get-," I broke off in a fit of coughing. "You're getting all wet." I finished, gasping for air.

"Edward, where's it sore?" my father asked again.

"Throat. Lungs." I mumbled.

My father didn't say anything else.

"Here, Edward, drink this. It should make your throat feel better," Alice told me, pressing a bottle into my hand.

I smiled gratefully and unscrewed the cap, before tacking a drink.

The Gatorade burned my throat going down, making me cough more. My father thumped my back lightly.

I screwed the cap back on the bottle, and Alice took it from me.

I pulled the towel off my lap and swiped my face with it, and dried my hair a little bit.

I heard footsteps rapidly hitting the wooden floor, coming towards where I was sitting. I looked up when the footsteps stopped.

"Edward," my coach let out a sigh of relief. "You all right, son? What happened out there?"

"I'm fine Coac-," I broke off in a violent fit of coughing. It was minutes before I finally stopped. "Jus- tired. I swallowe-I swallowed a lot of water." I gasped.

"I saw that. I want to know_ how_. You've swam that race a hundred times. What did you do toyour breaststroke out there?"

"Didn't bring my head out enough," I mumbled. "Inhaled water instead."

"And then?" Coach prompted.

"I kept inhaling more water. I just couldn't… I couldn't get to the surface to get air." I paused. "What was my time?"

"Your time? Oh- er… a five forty three ninety six."

I added more than a minute? "Oh."

"I'm sorry Edward. Definitely not one of your better races." Coach told me solemnly.

I stood up, leaving the two towels on the bench. "I need to go warm down."

"Er, Edward… I really don't think that's the best idea…" Coach cautioned.

"When you fall off a horse you're supposed to get back on. When you screw up a race, you're supposed to get back in the water." I quoted one of his favorite sayings.

I was sure his face looked uncertain. "All right then. ASre you sure to don't want to change out of that suit, first?"

I shook my head. "It'll take too long."

I followed his footsteps to the warm up pool, stumbling slightly every once in a while.

"Get in and do a two hundred choice," Coach handed me my goggles and a cap. "And stop if it gets to be too much."

I nodded, jammed the cap over my head and snapped the goggles on before jumping in the water.

The water was the coldest I'd ever felt it, numbing my limbs instantly. I kicked out in an underwater pullout and gasped for breath when my head popped up, water flooding my mouth slightly.

I stroked hard, my lungs aching for air every stroke. I finally, at long last, hit the wall on the other side. I leaned against it, barely treading water, and pulled my goggles off.

My coach came up behind me barely twenty seconds after I hit the wall. "What happened?"

"I-I c-can't do it." I stuttered, shivering and shaking violently. "I-it's too cold."

"Do you think you can do another fifty? That way you'll be closer to the locker rooms when you climb out, and you'll be less exposed to the air." I heard a quiet splash as he stuck his hand in the water.

"I-I t-think s-s-so," I pulled my goggles back on and pushed off the wall, feeling like the only seven year old swimming at the Senior practice again. Small, slow, and extremely vulnerable.

I did backstroke, making it easier to breath. I hit my hand hard on the other wall, and pulled up sharply, pulling my goggles and the cap off.

I climbed out. It had to have been another slow fifty, because Coach was waiting for me with two towels and my spare sweatshirt and sweatpants from my bag. I gratefully pulled the old sweatshirt over my head and took one of the towels to dry off my legs and hair before pulling my sweatpants on.

"Edward," my coach said after a minute. "I don't think you should swim tomorrow."

My head snapped up. Huh? "W-why n-not?" I forced out.

"You only have the hundred tomorrow and… you really should spend a day in bed. Try to recover from this. Edward, you're pale and your lips are blue. It's _hot_ in here and the water is nearly as warm in the air. Spend a day in bed. Catch up on some sleep, and don't do anything stupid. Try to get well enough to come back and swim on Sunday. I know you don't want to swim the hundred free anyway. And after all this… I don't think you should."

"C-coach th-that's hardly f-fair," I stuttered. "I-I'll b-be fine b-by tomorrow. P-promise."

"I don't want to hear it Edward. Go home. Get some sleep. You need it. Come back on Sunday, and swim the two other races. If you're still not well by then, then you can go home and take time off from classes and practice. I'll arrange it with your teachers."

"Coach are you s-sure?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm sure Edward. Go home and get some sleep. Maybe take a shower to relax your muscles. Just don't show up tomorrow."

"Okay," I replied doubtfully. I hadn't missed a race in years, and now he was purposely scratching me.

"Your parents have your backpack and all your stuff. I think they're still in the lobby waiting."

I nodded, and found my way through the locker rooms and out to the lobby.

My mother ran up to meet me, pulling me in a hug.

"Mom," I protested hoarsely. "Mom, I'm t-tired. L-let's g-go home."

She pulled away. I assumed my father had my bag. I allowed my mother to lead me out to the car. The night air was bitter and cold, and I pulled the hood over my face, trying to stay warm.

I slid in beside Alice, and leaned my head back, almost falling asleep.

"Edward, your lips are still blue. Do you want some of my latte?" Alice offered, pressing the hot drink into my hand.

I smiled and nodded. "T-thanks, Alice."

I took a sip. The butterscotch and chocolate flavored coffee tasted delicious. I took another sip before handing it back to her.

"Alice," I asked after a long while. "What happened… you know… after I fainted?"

I was sure everyone in the car was giving me curious looks. But Alice told me anyway.

"Everyone really freaked out. No one knew what had happened. You walked straight to the glass wall and… sort of slid down and collapsed at the same time. You were the last one to the wall, and half the swimmers were watching you. Then dad realized what had happened, and he went down to find your coach, and he had saw the whole race and he'd saw what had happened at the end and… everyone was scared. People were screaming your name and it took awhile for them to get you off the pool deck. You stayed out cold for a while. You lay on that bench for about forty five minutes before you came to. Mom and dad were debating whether or not to take you to the hospital. One dude in front of us thought you'd had a heart attack and kept yelling at dad to give you CPR. I didn't think it was that bad but… no one knew. Dad could tell you'd swallowed a lot of water. It was really scary, Edward." Alice told me.

I nodded. "I-it w-was scary f-for m-me too."

Alice's little fingers brushed against my forehead.

"God, you're cold, Edward." Alice pressed the hot cup of coffee back into my hands. "Drink the rest of it," she ordered. "It'll make you feel better."

I drank the warm coffee, and it helped. Probably not as much as Alice thought it would, but it made me feel a little better. It didn't bother my throat like the Gatorade had, but it still made me cough a lot.

By the time we got back to the hotel, I was so drained of energy I could barely make myself move out of the car. My limbs felt like lead and each step took more and more effort.

I found my way to the bedroom, and pulled out a pair of flannel pants and a long sleeved T-shirt. I pulled the sweats off, only then remembering I still had the suit on. I barely remembered pulling the suit off and my boxers on, and pulling on the pajamas before falling onto the bed, sound asleep.

I woke up a couple of times during the night, either really hot, or freezing. Once somebody had pressed and ice cold glass of water to my lips, and I gulped it down.

I woke up the following morning, muscles sore, throat and chest aching, barely able to roll over, let alone climb out of the bed.

I smelled melted chocolate, a sure sign my mom had made chocolate chip pancakes. My stomach knotted against the smell, though.

Someone knocked on the door and pushed it open.

"Edward," Emmett said. "Breakfast is ready. You want some pancakes or bacon or anything?"

I nodded. "P-pancakes, p-please." Even trapped under the warm hotel blankets, I still stuttered over the words. I shivered involuntarily, and stretched, my muscles protesting.

Emmett opened the door and handed me a plate of pancakes. I heard a hollow thunk as he set a glass on the nightstand.

"Eat up, little bro." I heard him call before he shut the door.

I rolled my eyes and picked up the fork. My mom hadn't put anything on them, just a little extra chocolate sauce. I grinned slightly. My mom knew just how I liked them.

I devoured the pancakes, and chugged down the milk Emmett had given me.

I was exhausted by the time I'd finished eating, and I leaned deeper into the pillows, desperately fighting off sleep.

My efforts were in vain, though, because I fell asleep barely a minute later.

I woke several times during the day, mostly when everyone else in one of the other rooms was being loud and noisy.

I didn't wake up for lunch, but when I woke up later, I was sweating under all the covers and starving. I kicked the covers off, and the cold air felt nice on my hot skin.

I rolled over and pressed my face to a colder part of the pillow. It felt so nice….

I reached out, and my fingers brushed the condensation on an ice cold glass. I picked it up and swallowed the water down quickly.

By then I was freezing. I pulled the Velour blanket up to my ears and curled up in a ball, with my knees tucked up close.

I wanted my iPod. I wanted to listen to the classical music, and remember every note for it on my piano back home. I wanted something to take my mind off the ache in my chest every time I breathed.

I started coughing just then. Loudly and roughly. Each cough left my throat feeling as if it was on fire and my chest as if someone had shoved a flaming knife into it.

I heard the door open just barely over my coughs. I felt the bed sink in slightly as someone sat down on the edge.

My mother's warm, gentle hands brushed my hair back from my forehead.

I finally stopped coughing after what seemed like hours. My breath came in ragged gasps, each one taking more and more effort. After long last, I was finally able to even my breathing out.

"Oh, Edward," my mother sighed quietly. "What are we going to do with you?" she asked.

I shrugged weakly. "Sleep," I mumbled nearly incoherently.

"Do you want anything to eat?" my mother asked.

"Sandwich, please," my hoarse voice was slurred.

"All right," my mother left, coming back a moment later.

"Peanut butter and jelly all right?" she asked, setting the plate down next to my bed.

I nodded. "P-perfect."

My mother sat down and watched while I ate slowly.

"Edward… do you think you'll be able to swim tomorrow?"

I was sure my face looked surprised. "I-I have to. It's my two hundreds. I've got to swim them."

"But Edward, if your this tired," she paused. "I don't want you to push yourself to hard. Your coach made you take today off because he and I both agreed that it would be good for you to get some rest after what happened last night. If you're like this now… then I want you to tell me if you think you'll be able to swim tomorrow."

"Mom!" I croaked loudly. "I've got to swim! It's _Nationals_. Do you know how rare it is for _any_ swimmer with a disability to swim at it? I'm one of the only swimmers in the _world_ who's been able to do it! I- I- I've g-got t-," I broke off, coughing.

I gasped when it was over. I was so tired….

"Edward," my mother whispered gently. "This is why I don't think you should swim tomorrow."

I gave one final cough and nodded. "Mom, I have to, though." My throat felt worse than it ever had before. "I _need_ these times. I need to _swim_. I only have a couple more months until the Trials. Any experience like this is good training," I protested weakly.

"I know honey, but… maybe you should take it easy this weekend. The next disability open's in a couple moths. You can swim there and get better times."

"But mom, I've swam the best races of my life at this meet. I don't want to wait for the next disability meet. I want to swim tomorrow. I got first yesterday ini fly. I want to try for another."

I was sure my mother was pondering this. "You're right. All right, you can swim tomorrow, but, just because I say this now doesn't mean I won't go back on it. If anything happens tomorrow, and I mean _anything_ then your getting scratched. I'm not taking chances with you Edward. I've nearly lost you once."

My mother gave me a warm hug before taking the plate from me and leaving.

I fell asleep not long after, waking up once or twice in a violent fits of coughing that lasted minutes.

My mother came in and woke me up at four. She said I'd left my watch in my backpack, which was still in the car.

I rolled off the bed, my muscles aching, not wanting to be put back to work.

I pulled on my sweats and made sure I had everything before we left. Emmett and Alice were annoyed with having to be woken up so early. I knew they couldn't understand why I did it every day. Some days even I didn't know.

We got to the pool and I carefully made my way downstairs. My coach was already there, thankfully. I put my stuff down and went and changed.

Coach led me over to the warm up pool. I bent down and splashed water on my skin, something I rarely did. I pulled my cap and goggles on and slid in to the water.

"Just warm up as much as you think you need to Edward. You've got two hard races today. And after what happened the other night… I'm not going to push you too hard."

I nodded and started a five hundred easy. My muscles relaxed with the stretching, and I didn't swallow any water.

I climbed out after the five hundred, pulling my sweatshirt and pants on to keep me warm. The water was still shockingly cold and the air not much better.

I started listening to my iPod, and carefully blocked everything out.

I had my two hundred I.M. up first. I made sure that as I got ready behind the blocks, not to think at all about Friday's race. What happened had happened, and now I had to swim this race to the best of my ability.

I climbed up when the started indicated, and when he started the race, shoved off powerfully.

I broke into butterfly, taking stroke after stroke, forcing my muscles to cooperate for the next two minutes.

I hit the wall and turned fast, breaking into a long, powerful backstroke.

I hit the wall hard with my hand three strokes too early and my turn became messed up. Water went up my nose and made me cough underwater.

I did a perfect underwater pullout, making sure my head actually cleared the water before breathing. My throat ached, but I pushed myself harder.

I hit the wall early again, this time hitting my wrist hard. I turned and started freestyle, hardly daring to breathe but once.

I hit the timing board early and hard with the same hand. Pain shot through it, but the race was over.

I gasped for air, pulling my cap off and climbing out of the water. My throat burned and my lungs ached ten times as much as they had yesterday.

I found my way back towards where I was sitting, one hand clutching at my wrist. I could feel the heat coming from it, almost certain it was swollen.

I groaned and sat down. I only had one more race before I could go home and get some sleep.

"Great job, Edward," my coach congratulated me. "A little shaky on those turns, though. But our stroke looked flawless."

I nodded, gritting my teeth against the pain in my wrist. "Coach, m-m-my w-wrist," I managed to say.

I felt his fingers gently brush my wrist.

"It's not swollen," he told me. "But it is hot… does this hurt?" he pressed down lightly on the skin. I yelped.

"Ow! Yes!" I pulled my hand back.

"Quit moving and let me tape it up." I reluctantly held my hand back out. Coach took a roll of sports tape and wrapped my wrist up so that it was supported.

I grinned, grateful. "Thanks."

"No problem. Do you think you'll be able to swim fly?"

I nodded. "It's just one more race. I think I can do it. I don't know about tonight, though. If I screw up this next race and get all tired… I mean, I'm tired now and…" I broke off, unable to think of anything else to say.

"You sure you want to swim?"

I nodded. "I can do it."

"All right then."

I sat there, playing with a piece of the tape for a little bit. Coach had wrapped my wrist up tight. It still hurt, but I couldn't move it.

Coach came back to get me when it was time for fly. I followed him to the blocks, and needed his help pulling my cap on.

I put my goggles on one handed, and climbed up on the blocks.

I took off when the starter beeped, breaking out in fast, tiring fly.

Four laps of fly, and I could go home. That was the only thought filling my head at the moment.

I hit the wall at the other end harder with one hand than the other, but still at the same time.

I took off, but I could feel my fly slowing down slightly, I pushed myself harder, trying to go faster.

It felt like no matter how hard I stroked, I wasn't going anywhere. When I finally hit the wall, I briefly considered stopping, but I couldn't. I had to finish this race.

I breathed on practically every stroke, my lungs dying for oxygen just like they had Friday night.

I hit the wall and turned for the last lap, taking a huge gasping breath, adding three hundredths of a second to my time.

I stroked hard, desperately fighting to get to the wall.

I hit hard, jarring my sore wrist.

My head popped up, and my breath came in ragged gasps. It felt like my brain was getting any oxygen. I pulled my cap and goggles off, and shoved my self out of the water. I was still breathing hard as I pulled my sweatshirt on. I was shaking, and freezing. I wanted desperately to warm up.

I klutzily found my way back to where I was sitting.

Coach came forward to meet me, handing me a dry, warm towel.

I took it, thankful. I dried my hair off with it, and pulled my hood over top.

My whole body was shaking. I collapsed onto the hard bleachers, my breath still coming in ragged breaths,

"Edward! Edward, are you all right?"

I groaned in response and pressed my fingers to my temples.

"Tired," I croaked.

"I assumed as much. All right, go warm down. You've got to come back tonight for your I.M. I highly doubt your fly time made it… no offense Edward, but that race sucked."

I nodded and stood up, my legs nearly giving way.

I made my way to the warm up pool, and pulled off my sweats before jumping in.

The water didn't feel as icy as it had the other night, but it was still cold enough to make my teeth chatter. I knew my coach was probably watching me with concern, trying to make sure I didn't pass out in the water.

I did a five hundred warm down. Or, at least, _tried_ to. I swallowed a lot of water that made my throat and lungs ache more. I just wanted to climb out and go to sleep.

I stopped after a two hundred, coughing up water.

"Climb out, Edward," my coach told me.

I did as he said, and sat down on the deck with my head resting on my knees.

"I want you to _relax_. Just let everything that's happened this weekend go. When we go back to Maryland, all I want you to do it swim like you did before Friday night. Got it?"

I nodded. I evened out my breathing and focused solely on that, making each breath long and even, making sure I drew in enough oxygen so that I didn't feel lightheaded.

"Good. Now go get changed and go home and get some sleep. I'll see you back here tonight. Five o' clock sharp."

I nodded and went into the locker room to change. When I came out, my family was all waiting for me.

"Good job, Edward!" Alice chirped.

I acknowledge her by nodding. I was too tired to talk right now.

"You're pale again, you know that? And your lips are blue." Alice pointed out. I shrugged. If I was coming down with something, it wouldn't be the first time. I usually did get sick after a swim meet in winter.

I reached up and rubbed my eyes, trying to stay awake.

I knew my parents probably looked concerned, but I ignored them. I got sick really easily. This wasn't the first time.

The ride home was silent. I found myself almost falling asleep when the car pulled to a stop and everyone else climbed out. I groaned and got out, dragging myself up the stairs, and almost falling down several times.

I went into the bedroom, and collapsed, exhausted, sprawled out on the bed in my wet clothes.

**God, thirteen freaking pages. Well, twelve and a quarter really, but… you get my point. Anyway, did you all like it? I am so tired right now… I think I'm going to go crawl back in bed and fall asleep like Edward just did. I even have my flannel pant on and everything. Okay, review guys, and tell me what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys

**Hey guys. I decided to spend the whole weekend updating this story, and spend the rest of my time tomorrow working on my algebra stuff so I can go swimming. I start field hockey in two days. Finally! Though I much prefer a pool to the field, I need something to stretch my other muscles out and field hockey does the trick.**

**I had to go to a meeting today for my swim team, and while one of my coaches was talking, he gave me a couple ideas for Edward. We spent half the time watching Michael Phelps. It's like, I've seen this before. It lost its effect on me.**

Chapter Six

My mother woke me up some time later, head throbbing and every muscle aching. My chest hurt and my throat felt like it was on fire. My wrist hurt, too.

I groaned and got up. I reached up and rubbed my temples.

"Mom, what time is it?"

"Quarter to five, honey."

_Quarter to five_? She woke me up fifteen minutes before I had to be at the pool? I groaned quietly to myself. It was one race, and then I could go home. Christmas break was in a week, and then I had three weeks off to hang out at home and get better.

I pulled down a dry bathing suit from off the wall, not even bothering to figure out if it was a Rzer or a Lzr racer. I stuffed it in my backpack along with a clean towel and a pair of dry sweats. Only then did I remember I was still in wet clothes. I quickly changed into my last clean pair of sweats. My brain was working slowly. I'd obviously choked on a mouthful too many of chlorine this weekend.

I went out into the living room, and dropped the bag on the floor before following it.

I lay spread eagle on the softy carpet for a while, until my brother thought he would have some fun with me.

I groaned when he started poking me, too tired to swat his hand away.

"Emmett," I muttered. "What the freaking _hell _are you doing?"

"Trying to see if you're alive."

"If I was dead, would I be talking right now?"

"No… unless you're some swim freak of a zombie."

"Emmett, leave your brother alone," my mother scolded. "Get off the floor Edward, your going to be late as it is."

"I know, mom," I sighed, shoving myself up.

"Edward, you look awful. Are you sure your not coming down with anything?" my mother asked doubtfully.

"It wouldn't be the first time I've gotten pneumonia, mom." I recalled a time when I was twelve, and after my first junior National meet, I got sick and had to be hospitalized for more than a week. I remembered another time quite similar when I had been fifteen except it had been around Christmas time.

"I know, I know. But I think all this swimming is what's doing this to you. You need to take it easier. Walking around campus at five in the morning can't be helping any."

"Mom, I'm fine."

She led me outside the hotel room. "I just don't want you to have to spend Christmas in the hospital again."

I shuddered. "Don't remind me, mom." That was one of the worst times of my life. Everyday I had felt worse and worse, once I'd even begun to think I was going to die. I'd never wanted to get sick like that again. I silently compared how I'd felt that time to how I felt now.

I felt a whole lot sicker now, than I had then. Now I could barely get out of bed without killing nearly every ounce of strength I possessed.

"Aren't the others coming?" I asked, getting in the front seat.

"Of course. Your father's just going to take the larger of the two cars we rented so that he can go pick up the others."

"Oh," I pressed my forehead against the icy glass. It felt nice.

My mom stopped the car and told me to climb out. I nearly moaned aloud when my muscles screamed. I was just so tired. I couldn't wait for this to be over.

I found my way downstairs, dropping my stuff off and going to change.

My coach showed up a few minutes later.

"Hey, Edward. How you feeling?"

"I would say absolutely exhausted, but then you'd feel the need to kill me." I grinned. "I don't know. Sore and all. But I've been worse." I was practically lying through my teeth. I wasn't sore, I was… it felt like the ache from my muscles was going to kill me. I'd never felt worse in my life. Even when I had pneumonia when I was fifteen.

"You don't look too good, kid. You're all pale. Maybe it's something about the weather up here that's screwing with you immune system."

I shrugged, fighting an urge to wince. "Maybe."

I made my way to the warm up pool, hopping in and starting a basic warm I'd became accustomed to for meets.

I climbed out at the end, trying hard not to slip and fall, or run into anybody.

When I sat down, Coach took my wrist in his hands. He carefully tugged off the tape he'd put on it this morning.

"It's not broken, is it?" I asked fearfully.

"No, no. I think you might've dislocated or jammed it, maybe even have sprained it on the walls. Take it easy tonight. I don't need my best swimmer going to the hospital."

I waited while he wrapped a fresh length of tape around the injury, and let me be, coming back to get me awhile later when it was time for my race.

I followed him to the blocks. It was the last race I had to swim for a while. I just wanted to get it over with.

I need help with my cap again. I pulled the goggles on single handedly and climbed up on the block.

The starter seemed to be talking in slow motion. I leaned over when he finally called out 'take your marks', and took off when the guy hit the button.

I broke out in butterfly, my shoulder muscles in screaming agony right from the first stroke.

I worked harder than normal to make it to the other side of the pool, hitting the wall and starting backstroke. My muscles protesting every stroke, my breaths coming in ragged gasps, water getting caught in my throat….

I accidentally careened into the lane line, hitting my injured hand and my head, causing new pains to add to the others.

I hit the timing board at the other end and started doing breaststroke, water choking me a little as on one of my strokes my head didn't clear the water enough.

I stroked harder, faster, not gliding long enough underwater.

I hit the other wall, having taken four strokes more than usual. I did a quick turn and rocketed off, hitting my head on the lane line when I turned to breath.

I tried to pull away from the lane line, but it was like some magnetic force, constantly pulling me back. If it wasn't one of my arms it was my ankle. I just couldn't keep myself from getting hurt.

I hit the wall with my taped up wrist, pain shooting through my arm. I groaned and pulled my cap and goggles off. It was over. That was all that mattered. I could go home, and go to sleep. Sleep for an eternity if I wanted to.

I pulled myself out of the water, and grabbed my towel off the pool deck. I swiped my face with it, and rubbed my hair before pulling my sweatshirt back on.

I made my way back to where I was sitting, falling against the hard seat.

I ran my fingers through my hair, and pressed them at my temples. I ached all over and only wanted to sleep.

I started coughing. The water I had swallowed had burned my throat and made my chest hurt more and more. I wanted nothing more then to fall asleep right there.

Coach came up and clapped me on the shoulder, making me moan in protest.

"Good swim kid. Not the best swim of your life but, definitely one of the better times I've seen you swim that. How do you feel?"

"Like every nerve in my body is on fire," I groaned hoarsely.

"Get down and stretch out a bit before you go warm down. That might loosen up your muscles and make them less sore."

I nodded and lid off the chair and onto the floor. I stretched slowly, fighting hard not to moan aloud. I didn't need a wrenched muscle to go along with my wrist, but stretching so slowly was sheer agony.

I stood up one my leg muscles had been stretched out and went to warm down. I nearly fell into the pool, the people were jostling around so much. I probably wasn't the only one who wanted to go home.

I jumped in, the icy water making me shiver violently before I took off. I swam freestyle, and not very slowly. I felt like a sea serpent snaking through the water.

I did a two hundred before switching to breaststroke, trying hard not to inhale any water. Something about the way I swam breaststroke made it hard to actually get my head out of the water and breathe air instead of water.

I climbed out after I'd done a hundred of breaststroke. I towel dried off and pulled my sweats on and packed my backpack up. I bade farewell to my coach, wishing him a merry Christmas. I knew I wasn't going to see him for about a month.

I found my way to the lobby. Everyone was there. My family, my sister's crazy friends… everyone.

My father took my bag from me. I smiled, extremely grateful. I was shivering tin my dry sweats, barely able to stand still without trembling like a leaf.

"Where do you want to go eat, sweetie?" my mother asked me.

I shrugged painfully. "I d-don't know. I-I'm not t-that hungry, r-r-really," I forced the words past my chattering teeth. "C-can w-we j-just g-go home?" I asked hopefully.

"You're not hungry?" Emmett asked, astonished. "You're always hungry."

I just shook my head.

Emmett pressed his wrist against my forhead. "Mom, Call 911! Edward's. not. hungry!"

"Enough, Emmett." My mother pressed her warm hand against my forehead. "Your not hot, honey. Do you feel all right?"

I nodded. "F-fine mom. J-just c-cold. And t-t-tired."

"I don't know how you can be cold, the air in there is so hot." My mother sounded doubtful. I pulled my sleeves done over my hands, trying to trap in as much heat as possible.

"Honestly, m-mom. I-I'm j-just t-t-tired."

"All right. I'll take you back to the hotel room." She paused. "We were going to go out to dinner. Do you want us to bring you back anything?"

I shook my head. "I'm f-fine, m-mom." Right now, the very thought of anything edible made my stomach tie in a knot.

My mother led me out to the car. I slid into the front seat and had her turn it to a classical station.

I was surprised I didn't fall asleep in the car. The heater wasn't warming me up any, even with two vents facing towards me.

I climbed out when my mother stopped the car and turned the ignition off. I followed the sound of her footsteps up the stairs and to the room.

She said she wouldn't leave until she'd seen me change out of the wet clothes. I rolled my sightless eyes at her and went into the bathroom to change.

I came out and crawled weakly into bed, every one of my limbs feeling ten times heavier.

My mother covered me with the sheet and velour blanket, before taking the thick comforter and pulling it up to my shoulder.

My mother pressed her hand on my forehead one final time. I figured she was unsatisfied, because she slid it down my face to my cheek.

"Get some sleep, sweetie. I'll wake you tomorrow when we have to leave."

I nodded, tiredly, before my sheer exhaustion carried me off to sleep.

I woke up sometime later, sweating under all the covers. I twisted back and forth restlessly, fighting with the covers.

I stopped fighting only when I broke into a fit of racking, side aching coughs. Each cough felt like a flaming knife stabbing at my lungs.

It seemed like forever before the fit subsided, leaving me gasping for air, and my throat aching.

I fell back asleep, sheets and other covers twisted around my legs.

When I woke up the next time, it was because my mother was shaking my shoulder gently, and calling my name.

I groaned and allowed my eyes to open, letting my mother know I was awake.

I rolled weakly off the bed minutes after she left, nearly falling over when my legs refused to support my weight at first.

I didn't bother changing out of my flannel pants. I pulled on a sweatshirt, though. I was freezing.

I almost collapsed back against the bed, when Alice came in and dragged me out of the room.

"C'mon, Edward," I heard her say. "You need to wake up."

"Alice," I breathed. "Too tired."

"Don't whine. Drink this."

Alice pressed a mug full of hot liquid into my hands. I took a cautious sip. It turned out to be chamomile tea. I drank more, feeling the sweet liquid soothing my throat.

We got in the car shortly after, my father driving us to the airport. I wanted to go back to sleep so badly, but Alice wouldn't shut up. I had a feeling she was doing that on purpose.

I climbed out at the airport. My mother led me through all the lines until we finally boarded the planes. I leaned back in the seat, nearly falling asleep when-

"Can I sit here?" Bella's gentle voice rang out sweetly.

I looked blindly up at her and nodded. "Go ahead," I added tiredly.

"Thanks," she sounded happy.

We were quiet for a minute. My body was dying for me to go back to sleep, but just the intoxicating scent of her strawberry shampoo was enough to keep me awake.

"You had a hard weekend," she noted quietly.

I nodded. "Probably the hardest of my life." That wasn't a lie.

"You look awful."

"Gee, thanks."

"I mean, your swims were great, but every time you got out of the water, you looked like it was really costing you an effort just to stand."

I nodded again. "It did."

"Then why'd you keep swimming all those races after Friday night?"

I shrugged and winced. "I don't know. I came here for a reason, and I wasn't leaving until the meet was over."

"And that reason was…? To kill yourself?"

"No. I wanted to prove that… even though I'm blind I can still swim with some of the best swimmers in the world and not have to push my physical boundaries. Definitely not something that I accomplished."

"Oh. Your fly looked great that one night. But ever since then… you've been sick, haven't you?"

I stared at her. How'd she know this stuff? "Definitely not in the best shape ever, no."

"I assumed as much. Your mother kept fussing over you. I assume there's a story behind that?"

"Sort of… this wouldn't be the first time I'd gotten sick after a swim meet. One of the times the pneumonia nearly killed me. I was hospitalized for ages. No one really thought I would get better…."

"But you did."

I nodded. "That's the story of my life. I amaze everyone."

"You amazed me the other night," she told me quietly. "Your butterfly is truly amazing. You're going to be the next Michael Phelps."

"I don't think I'll go to the Olympics. My goals are a little lower than that."

"I've seen you swim. If you hadn't had all that water go into your lungs Friday night, you'd have five gold medals instead of one."

"I doubt that. I was swimming against the best in the nation-"

"But you always got the early lead, and then something would happen and you would start choking on water, or careen into the lane line. You just need a way to help with your breathing technique. Your siblings told me you hardly ever get hurt during a meet, but you hurt your wrist this weekend. And you got sick."

"I'm not exactly the luckiest person on earth."

"Nor am I."

I played with a piece of tape on my wrist for a minute, before asking, "You really think I could go to the _Olympics_?"

"I saw you swim out there. Your splits were amazing. You just need some better concentration and… maybe a little bit more coaching than what you get at practice. More one on one."

"Are you offering to coach me?" I asked, smiling.

"You know you really shouldn't do that. smile that way, I mean. And yes, I'll coach you. I'll help you on anything you want me to help you on, in return for a favor, of course."

"Of course, and that favor would be?"

"You help my swimming to the best of your abilities. It's suffered in the past six years."

"I can do that."

I fell asleep against the window not too long after, jolting awake when the plane landed and my head got jarred.

My parents drove all of us back to the campus. I immediately went to my room, following Jasper and Emmett.

I collapsed against my bed, falling asleep quickly.

It wasn't a deep sleep. Quite the contrary, actually, it was very restless and shallow. I could hardly tell reality from sleep, aside form the fact that when I was sleeping, there wasn't any pain, any aches or burns.

When I was awake, I was either extremely hot or freezing cold. My body couldn't decide on a safe median.

Jasper's alarm clock startled me awake the following morning at eight. I dragged myself out of the bed. I only had to face one week of classes, and I could go home. Home to where I could sleep all day and get better, without worrying about classes.

I pressed my icy fingers to my face, trying to wake my self up. It worked.

I pulled a sweatshirt off the floor and a pair of Jeans. I tied my sneakers clumsily before going to English class, my binder under my arm.

**Yawn. Good and bad chapter. I thought it was sort of sweet, but then again I can be extremely conceited at times… review guys! My birthday's in a couple day and you know what I would love to get this week? Thirteen reviews, one for every year I've been alive. It'll make up for the thirteen hundred fly my coach will make me swim. I love fly and all but… when you're sick, and have to swikm a eight hundred I.M for warm up, it's not a lot of fun.**

**Later guys, tell me what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys. I'm exhausted and I have no idea why I'm still awake but…. I am. Anyway, here's the next chapter. It's like… ugh. Being sick sucks so much. Me and my friend have the same thing, and I had to beg my mom not to make me go swimming because she doesn't believe that I'm really sick.**

Chapter Seven

The last week of classes before I could go home for Christmas break was probably the longest time of my life. I spent hours each night listening to recorded lectures to get caught up in the classes I missed. Each morning afterward, I could certainly feel how much damage each hour of sleep I missed was doing me.

After my last class, I went back to my dorm room before heading down to lunch. I dropped the binder on my bed where the rest of my school stuff was. I didn't bother to clear it off. I wouldn't be back for three weeks.

I headed off to the cafeteria. Alice was forcing me to have lunch with her before mom and dad picked us up later. I couldn't wait to go home. The first three months of school had been long, and I wanted a break from it all.

I ran my fingers over the Braille writing on one of the signs, making sure that I was actually at the cafeteria, and not some other building. I was, thankfully.

I pushed open the double doors, idle chatter reaching my ears.

Alice was standing just inside the door. Her little hand felt cold against my skin and she dragged me further inside the large, over packed room, before ordering to sit down at one of the tables.

I sat, leaning my head against my hand. I was tired. I was sure Alice could see the change in my behavior from last week to this. I hadn't had a lot of homework and I spent a lot of time sleeping. Every time she had come over to see Jasper she had woken me up.

"When's Emmett gonna be here?" I asked.

"A couple minutes. His dorm's on the other side of campus."

I nodded tiredly.

"Edward, is something wrong? You're not acting like yourself… please don't tell me you're sick again," Alice reached out and gently brushed her tiny fingers across my forehead, and cheek. "You are! Edward!"

"I'm fine," I mumbled. "Just a little behind on sleep."

"Don't give me that crap! You've been sick ever since that meet, haven't you? Edward, what if it turns out to be pneumonia again? Or something worse? You almost died last ti-."

"Enough Alice! I'm aware of what happened last time! I'm fine, I swear." I softened my voice. "I'd tell you if I wasn't."

"I don't believe you."

"You should, Ali. I swear, I'm _fine_," God, why did I have to keep saying it? I knew Alice was right. And she knew I knew she was right.

"I still can't believe you. When mom picks us up tonight, she's gonna know. It's like… a talent. She can always tell when something's wrong."

"And she'll have three weeks to try and make me better. Alice, I don't know why you're acting like this. I'm honestly fine."

"Because you're my brother and if you keep doing this to yourself, you could really do some damage."

"Alice, it was _one meet_-."

"You said the same thing last time! And the time before that! Face it Edward, you're going to end up really hurting yourself in someway or another, and-,"

"What are you yelling about, Alice?" Emmett asked. I heard the grating of the chair as he slid it back and plopped down in it.

"Him! He's sick. _Again_!"

"Seriously? Did you tell mom?" Emmett asked.

"No, I haven't yet." I replied, scowling.

"Not the best idea in the world, Eddie. Remember that time I fractured my leg playing baseball? And I didn't tell them for like, a month?"

"Yes, Emmett. I remember."

"You better tell them. You know they always worry about you." Alice hissed. "I swear, if you don't tell them today, I'll tell them for you. And I can make it sound worse than it really is. Way worse."

"Go ahead, Alice. Tell them when they come and pick us up. It's a long drive back to Chicago, and the one thing he really needs is a good, long chewing out by mom to keep him deprived of sleep." Emmett told her. I was about ready to punch him.

"Are you going to tell them, Edward? Or will I have to, instead? They need to know this. It could turn into something really serious."

"Y-you can't tell them A-Ali-," I broke off, coughing and shaking. It had suddenly gotten very cold inside the room.

Alice rubbed small circles into my back as each cough hurt my chest more and more. I was finally able to stop after what seemed like an eternity of torture. I leaned my head against the table, trying to catch my breath.

"That's what I mean, Edward." Alice told me softly. "You're not getting any better. And mom and dad are going to find out eventually. They'll be less angry if you tell them. They might not let you swim anymore if you don't."

"You tell them, then." I groaned. "I just want to go home."

"All right. I'll tell them. But you won't be going to sleep. Knowing mom and dad, they force every bit of it out of you until you tell them everything that's happened."

"Mmmkay," I mumbled. I honestly didn't care.

"It's almost one. We're supposed to meet mom and dad in a few minutes. C'mon, Edward, let's go get your stuff." Alice told me, her voice all bright and cheery. "See you in a couple of minutes. Emmett."

I allowed Alice to drag me out the door and back to my dorm. She opened the door, and I followed her in, sitting on the floor, since my bed was occupied by my binders.

"Where's your backpack, Edward?"

"Closet."

I heard the closet door creak open, and the sound of Alice pushing things aside to find one of my backpacks.

"Got it. What stuff do you want to take with you?"

"Umm… my music stuff. And a couple of books. And my iPod."

I heard the rustle of the material as Alice slid each item into the backpack. "What books?"

"Any are fine."

"Your Shakespeare collection?"

I nodded. I wasn't a big fan of some of the plays, but I was in the middle of reading one of the sonnets, and I wanted to finish it over the winter break.

Alice zipped up the bag a minute later. "C'mon, sleepyhead, let's get out of here."

I allowed her to lead me back outside. Though it was the middle of December, the day was relatively warm. I shivered inside my sweatshirt, despite the warm sun it felt like it was in the negatives.

I knew Alice noticed, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she led me towards the parking lot, where our parents were waiting.

My mother wrapped both my sister and me in a huge, warm hug.

"How was the last week of school?" she asked, giving each of us a kiss of the head. "Edward, you're all hot. You're not coming down with something, are you?" Of course, only my mother would notice something like that right from the start.

"Actually, he hasn't been feeling well all week, have you, Edward?" Alice asked.

"No, Alice. I haven't," I sighed, resignedly.

My mother pressed her warm hand to my forehead. "Edward, you're burning up! And you're shivering. Get in the car. You'll warm up faster."

I sighed and opened the door, sliding in and pressing my forehead against the icy glass. Alice slid in after me, wedging two backpacks in between her leg and mine. One, I assumed, was hers.

Emmett showed up just then. I heard him greeting mom. He was the last to get in the backseat, slamming the door and rocking the entire car.

I heard my parents get in the front seat, and my dad start the engine.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you swim on Sunday. You're all sick now. Edward, _why_ didn't you tell me?"

I shrugged tiredly. "I wanted to swim." I shivered. Despite the heat and my sweatshirt, I was still cold.

"Alice, give your brother the blanket under your seat." I took the blanket Alice handed me, and wrapped up in it. "Edward, if you weren't feeling well enough to swim, you shouldn't have. I don't need you getting sick again. I don't think I could handle seeing you in a hospital bed for the fourth time in the past ten years."

I groaned quietly. Everyone was determined to bring that up today.

"As soon, as you get home, you're going straight to bed. I'll bring you up something to eat. You look thinner. What have you eaten this week? Anything?"

"I ate at least two meals a day, mom." I was lying. I'd barely been able to make it out of bed for one meal each day, and the times I tried to eat more than that I could hardly stomach the food.

I sighed tiredly, and pulled the blanket tighter around me. I was finally starting to warm up a bit.

"Edward, two days a meal obviously isn't doing you any good. You look like you haven't eaten at all this week."

"I'm _fine_, mom. I _really _wish you would stop worrying about me."

"I have good reason to worry. Edward, you're sick. And you didn't tell me." My mother grumbled. I moaned and closed my eyes, pretending to have fallen asleep.

A few minutes later, I really had fallen asleep. I remembered waking up once, to throw the blanket off my hot skin, before falling back asleep.

The other time I woke up, the car had stopped and my mother was shaking me.

"Edward, we're home," I heard her telling me.

I crawled out of the car, and let Alice drag me upstairs to my room. I crawled on top of my bed and passed out.

I woke up, warm and comfortable after having slept as long as I had wanted to, without having to get up for classes.

I reached over and pulled a book off my bedside table. I ran my fingers over the Braille title, deciphering the code quickly in my head. Alice had left out my Shakespeare collection.

I flipped open to the page I had left off at, and ran my finger over the raised dots, mouthing the words as I deciphered them in my head.

I heard the doorbell ring, loud enough hat it rang clearly through out the whole house.

I heard someone open the door, and my father call out in surprise.

**Not a big cliffhanger, but I have swim practice and I'm like half conscious I spent all week on this. I need to go stretch out. Review guys, I want to know what you think of the sibling time they spent together. Oh, and anyone want to guess who the visitor is? It's not Bella. Anyone who does gets the next chapter dedicated to you!**


	8. Chapter 8

**hey guys. Second swim meet of the year is under way and five hundred frees suck! I got like the worse time possible and my favorite coach wasn't there to tell me how to not screw up my flip turns… not a fun meet at all. Anyway, I'm all hyped up with nervous energy, so I might as well do something conventional.**

Chapter Eight

"Aro!" I heard my father call out delightedly. My stomach knotted in tension. Aro? Of all the people to stop by, it had to be _Aro_? I had nothing personal against the guy… just sometimes, when he started throwing words around that made me sound like a mental case, the psychiatrist got on my nerves.

"Carlisle! I hope you don't mind? I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by to see how my old friend was doing. I hope this isn't a bad time?"

"Of course not. What have you been up to lately?" I heard my father shut the door.

"This and that. Where are Esme and the kids? I don't think your house has ever been this quiet." Aro let out a loud laugh at his own pathetic attempt at a joke.

"Esme took Emmett and Alice downtown to do some shopping. Edward's up in his room, getting some sleep."

"He didn't want to go downtown with the others?"

"Hardly. He's been sleeping almost the entire weekend. Esme didn't want to wake him up. Poor kid needs his sleep."

"Has he been trying to do too much again?" I groaned quietly when I heard him ask that. The one thing I didn't need- a psychiatrist telling my father I needed treatment for the third fricking time, just so he could get some money.

"I honestly don't know. Probably. He's just so determined… sometimes swimming just blocks everything else out of his brain."

"Have you ever thought that maybe he shouldn't swim anymore?"

I sucked in a sharp breath. Not swim anymore? Was this dude on crack or something? Swimming had been the one thing that kept me sane when it felt like my entire world was falling to pieces around me. If I wouldn't be allowed to swim anymore it'd be like… like some dude had just walked up, and stabbed me with a knife. It would be nearly impossible to live through.

"Edward would never agree to that. For one thing, he's too stubborn to ever give that up, and for another, he's entire life revolves around swimming, and music. Of we were to take either one of those things away from him, it'd probably kill him. And, as I recall, I believe it was _you_ who told us he should try swimming in the first place, some fourteen years ago, am I correct?" My father had a knack for staying perfectly calm, and still getting the intended meaning of words across to someone.

"I-well… things change."

"Things change? Did you ever expect him not to fall in love with the water? Not to live just to keep swimming? It helped him get through all the traumas in his life. And now you sit there, and suggest it's too much for him, and that he should stop, not even thinking of the possible depression that could put him in?" Carlisle's voice stayed perfectly calm, not raising a single bit. "Aro, you're my friend, but if you honestly want my son to stop swimming, you've got to be insane."

"Carlisle, if it's making him sick in any way or-."

"Aro, I never said anything to suggest that he was sick, simply tired from lack of sleep. Even I loose sleep at night, and suffer for days on end until I get a descent night's sleep."

It was quiet downstairs for a while, until they picked up their conversation with wuiet murmurings that I couldn't hear upstairs.

The remainder of our Christmas break passed uneventfully. On Christmas Eve, my mother had a lavish dinner for just our family, and Christmas morning was extremely loud, filled with the sound of tearing wrapping paper, and the startled barks of Tabby, my old guide dog, when Alice squealed.

As much as I loved spending time with my family, I couldn't wait to get back to school, and get away from all of them. When my mother wasn't fussing over me, my brother and sister were driving me insane. Who knew three months at school would make you forget how _annoying_ people could be when you spent too much time with them. For the most part though, the holiday was quiet, and peaceful in comparison to my college life.

Even the drive back down to Maryland was quiet, with sister sleeping against my shoulder, and my brother playing some game. I read and listened to some of the new songs I downloaded onto my iPod over the break.

My parents dropped us off at the campus, and I immediately grabbed my backpack and went to my dorm. It was starting to get late, and I had practice the next morning.

I shoved my books on the table next to my bed, and tossed the clothes in the corner before I pulled out my new Braille laptop I'd gotten for Christmas, and placed it on the desk on my side of the room.

As soon as I sat down on my bed, there was a knock on my door. I got up and opened it.

"Hey, Edward." A soft voiced asked. "Can I come in for a minute?"

I nodded, and stepped back to let Bella come in.

I sat back down on my bed, and heard the springs creak as she sat down next to me.

"Um… do you remember when… about a month ago, when I offered to help you out a bit with swimming and all?"

I nodded. "Of course I remember."

"Do you still want me to help you? I mean… I have tons of free time, and my classes are all in the morning, so I could help you any time in the afternoon… and it'd be cool to watch you swim up close."

I sighed. "Bella… I couldn't ask you to do that… I mean… you don't have to help me. I have a coach who's perfectly capable of working with my strokes. You wouldn't need to put yourself out."

"I wouldn't be over working myself. Like I said, I have tons of free time, and I can't spend it all with your sister. And your coach can't always help you out. I'd be available for whatever you wanted my help with. It doesn't matter."

"You have got a point… my coach doesn't always do the exact conditioning I want… but Bella, like I said, I just couldn't ask that of you."

"Even if it was just one night a week, it wouldn't matter. I just wanna help."

"Why?"

"What? Oh, because I think you're an amazing swimmer, and you could so go to the Olympics if you wanted to. You just need someone who'll work with you on every single part of your stroke, and not just give you sets t9o build up your endurance."

I nodded. She made sense.

"All right. I guess I can have you coach me, but it can't be too late at night. I have to be up at three every morning for practice. And I insist on paying you for it."

"I couldn't let you do that! I'm offering to help you, not begging for a job! I have enough money, you wouldn't have to pay me a dime. And don't worry, it won't be. Do you have any classes tomorrow night around five?" when I shook my head, she continued. "Meet me at the pool at five then. And I promise I won't make it too hard."

I heard the springs creak as she got up, promised to meet me at the pool one final time, and left, without giving me a chance to protest any farther.

My alarm clock woke me up the following morning. After three weeks of sleeping as late as I wanted to, it nearly killed me to get out of bed.

I grabbed my stuff, changed and headed down to the pool. I knew the old campus trail by heart now, and it didn't take but a few minutes to get there.

I spent fifteen minutes stretching out, and warming up my muscles. By the time I jumped in the ice cold water, I was ready to swim.

Practice wasn't a complete killer, but after four weeks without swimming, my muscles were screaming by the end, and I was starving.

I nodded blankly as I hardly listened to my coach give me a couple pointers about my freestyle before he let me leave. The advice went in one ear and out the other. I wasn't paying attention to what he said. My mind was eleven hours ahead of myself, thinking about tonight. I pulled a granola bar out of my backpack and tore off the paper before I started to eat it as I left.

I tossed my towel over the back of my chair in my room, and curled up on my bed to sneak in an extra hour of sleep before I had to get ready for class.

I was at the pool at five o' clock on the dot. Right when my watch beeped five times, I was sitting down and starting to stretch out.

Five minutes later, I heard a backpack drop to the ground next to me, and Bella saying "Sorry I'm late. My class got out only a couple of minutes ago."

"It's fine," I said, and stood up, stretching my arms out. "Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to."

"For the last time, yes, I do want to do this."

"All right." I pulled my cap on, and snapped my goggles down over my eyes before tugging on my second cap.

"How hard was your practice this morning?" she asked.

"Not too bad. I've had worse. Just don't use that as an excuse to kill me. I just need something easy to stretch my muscles out, and work on my technique. That's probably the one thing we never get to in practice."

"Okay. Get in and do a two hundred free before I give you another set."

I nodded, and jumped in the lap lane. A two hundred was simple compared to my normal warm ups. I used it to stretch my stroke out so it was long and even. After thirteen strokes, I flipped over and hit the wall perfectly, not too close, not too far away.

The rest of the hour was like that, too. Nothing she gave me was too hard that I couldn't do it, and we didn't do a single sprint set, so I probably wouldn't be exhausted tomorrow morning at practice.

I climbed out after the three hundred easy Bella had given me for a warm down. As I pulled my towel out of my bag, she asked me, "Was that too hard? I don't need to be held responsible for you dying at practice tomorrow."

I shook my head. "That was perfect. My muscles don't hurt like they did this morning, and my freestyle feels so much better after those tips you gave me. My coach never told me my arms crossed under me when I got tired or lost focus."

"Most people don't realize they do it. You just have to concentrate when you swim and think about what you're doing. After that, it's really easy, and you just have to pace yourself."

I nodded. "Have you ever thought about being a swim coach?"

"I used to coach a couple years ago back in Phoenix. I mainly just coach the little kids, but every now and then, one of the ten or eleven year olds would ask my opinion on their stroke."

"Sounds cool," I smiled and pulled my T-shirt on.

"I gotta get goin'. I have some English homework I need to get done and I'm starving."

I nodded. "I'm hungry, too. Are you going to eat dinner with my sister tonight?"

"I dunno yet. Maybe."

"Are you doing anything Friday night?" I asked.

"Does homework count?"

I laughed and shook my head. "You have all weekend to do that."

"Then no, I have absolutely nothing to do Friday night."

"Would you like to come to dinner with me, then? Seeing as you won't let me pay you, I feel I ought to give you some gesture of my gratitude."

"You mean like… a date?"

I shrugged. "Sure, you could call it that. I don't have a meet this weekend, for once,a nd I thought it'd be cool if we got off campus for a little while. How 'bout it?"

She paused for a minute, then said, "Okay, sure. I'd like that."

I heard her bend over and grab her backpack off the ground. "See ya later, Edward."

I stood there, completely surprised by what I just asked, and even more surprised by the answer I received.

**Yay! I posted this! I'm so happy. God, I've missed typing. I've just been si **_**busy**_**, you know what I mean? And I've had some mild writers block, but im all better now. Ugh, I have to go to sleep. My coach says I have to have twelve hours of sleep tonight if I want to do well on my five hundred tomorrow… but I can't sleep on an empty stomach… and I just ate dinner. **

**Okay, so while I go raid the refrigerator, I wanna know what you guys thought of the chapter. Later guys!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okie dokie, so my meet was awesome and I actually survived the five hundred free! It was hilarious, on the second day of the meet, both my coaches started fighting over, I swear if I had been laughing any harder, I would've fallen into the pool. My coaches rock, I have to give them that. **

**Okay, I swear I talk too much. You all care about what happens on Edward and Bella's date… not what's going on in my life.**

Chapter Nine

_Just one more glass, _I thought tiredly Friday morning. After my music class, I could go back to my dorm room and sleep a while before I went to meet Bella at six.

I was restless during my last class, fiddling with the buttons on my tape recorder, begging the bell to ring soon before I went in sane.

As soon as the bell went off, and the class was dismissed, I jumped up from my seat, shoved my tape recorder into my backpack, and headed back to my dorm.

I spent another two hours hanging around my dorm room, driving Jasper insane. When my alarm went off on my watch I grabbed my clothes out of the closet and got changed.

I headed outside about ten minutes later. Bella had promised to meet me at the front of the school.

I lounged against the outside of the wall surrounding the campus, waiting and listening. Finally, I heard an old engine groan to a stop right in affront of me. I heard a door open and close, and Bella's voice.

"Don't tell me you've fallen asleep standing there?"

I laughed. "Of course not."

"C'mon, then." She grabbed my hand and dragged me around to the other side. I climbed in the cab of the huge old truck. I had a feelignt his thing couldn't go very fast.

"A truck?" I asked skeptically when she climbed in. "An _old _truck, at that?"

Bella laughed. "Oh please. It's not that bad. It's sturdy, and it gets me where I want to go."

"At what, ten miles an hour?" I couldn't help but tease her. It was nice to hear the frustration creep in to her voice.

"Fifty," she admitted.

I rolled my eyes.

"Where do you want to go for dinner?" she asked after a moment.

"Surprise me."

"No, seriously. Where?"

"I honestly don't care."

"Okay, then." She replied after a pause. "Do you like Italian food?"

I nodded.

We rode the rest of the way in silence. When the truck stopped and the engine cut off, I climbed out of the cab and went over and got her door. It wasn't hard to find the door handle.

I helped her down, and shut the door for her.

"Thanks," she mumbled shyly.

I grinned. "No problem."

I took her hand, and allowed her to lead me into the restaurant.

Someone lead us back to a table, and I sat down on one of the benches on either side of the booth, and I heard vinyl cover move as Bella sat down on the other.

The server handed us each a menu, and left us be.

Bella sat quietly for a few moments then asked tentatively, "How's swimming been?"

I sighed. "All right, I guess."

I could tell she was smiling when she next spoke. "You guess?"

I nodded. "It's not like it's any harder. Every time we do freestyle sprints, I take time off. You helped a lot with that."

She was confused now. "How? I can't _make_ you go any faster."

I smiled slightly, "No, but the better your technique is, the faster you can go without tiring as easier. That hour on technique helped _a lot_."

"Oh."

Our server came back just then, rambling about the night's specials and whatnot. I zoned out.

When the waitress asked what I wanted, I just said I'd have whatever Bella ordered. I had plenty of faith in her discussions. I just couldn't shake the feeling; though I had only known her for a short time, I trusted her completely.

We were quiet until the server came back, gave us our drinks and left again.

"What was it like growing up in Arizona?" I asked. I remember Alice telling me where Bella had grown up over winter break.

I'm sure she shrugged. "Hot." She paused. "Actually, it was perfect. It didn't rain a lot. Or snow. It was almost always sunny. It was great."

"Maryland must suck in comparison."

Bella let out a laugh. "Actually… no, it doesn't. I mean, when winter started coming around, it was awful. I wasn't used to the cold. Even when I spent weekends with my dad up in Washington State, it was never as cold as it was here. But then… I dunno. It got better. More bearable."

"How?" I asked.

"Er- well, your sister hung out with me a lot, and your brother, too. Emmett's crazy, you know that? Anyway, when Alice invited me to come watch your swim meet, even if it was only for a day, I jumped at the chance."

"Why?"

She didn't answer for a moment. "Because… when I met you outside that English classroom… I dunno. I mean, I guess I kind of…" she trailed off then.

I nodded. I knew exactly what she meant. The weird feeling hat had settled in my chest upon meeting her had driven me crazy.

"And when you go sick at that meet… I felt so helpless. I didn't go back to the meet. I mostly hung out with Rose in the hotel room for the rest of the weekend. I didn't want to admit it, but when you got sick... I just felt so helpless. And even though Alice kept begging me to go to the meet Sunday... I just couldn't briing myself to do it. Not that you aren't a brilliant swimmer... you truly are amazing. I was just scared."

I nodded at the praise.

We talked occasionally throughout dinner. When the check came, I pulled out my wallet. I knew it couldn't' have cost more than sixty dollars. I drew out three bills. I only had twenties in my wallet, so I didn't have to worry about grabbing the wrong bill. I slid them into the envelope and handed in back to the waitress before she even had a chance to leave.

We left, and Bella and I talked in the car. When the engine cut off too soon, I stared at her, questioningly.

"Have you even been down to the docks?"

I shook my head.

"Well, c'mon then!"

I allowed her to drag me down to the docks, and let her lead me a round for a few minutes. The air from the harbor was sharp and cold and it felt good to be at the water's edge for just a few minutes.

"I love coming down here. The aquarium is great, too. But something about the open sea air… I've always loved the ocean."

I smiled, and took her hand in mine. "I can't blame you."

I could feel her eyes looking up at me. I looked down as a breeze came off the water and she shivered. "C'mon, we better get back to school. It's cold out here."

I followed her back to truck and climbed in.

She drove back to the school, talking about school, and what other classes she was taking aside from Literature. She told me her favorite play was Romeo and Juliet. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"What?" she asked.

"You honestly _liked_ that?"

"Of course I did. I actually found it to be a great work of Literature."

"I found Romeo's demeanor to be quite boring, and Juliet to be quite dense."

"You're kidding me, right? It's an amazing love story."

"You can tell me that all you want, but it won't change my opinion on anything."

"Just you wait. I'll turn you into a Shakespeare fan yet."

"You can try."

We spent the rest of the way back to school arguing over different works. One I happened to enjoy and Bella disliked was _The Twelfth Night_. I found it quite humoring while Bella found it idiotic.

When Bella cut off the engine, I knew we were back at school. I was actually disappointed for this night to end. I offered for her to come back to my dorm with me. When she agreed, I lead her through the winding paths to my dorm.

I climbed up the stairs and lead her down to my room. I'd barely gotten in the room and sat down with Bella on my bed when Jasper came in.

"Edward, there's this dude down at your coaches office looking for you."

I stared at him blankly. Bella took my hand and squeezed my finger gently.

"I dunno who it is. I just know he's looking for you. Uh, both of them are."

"Black haired dude?" I asked after a moment.

"Uh yeah. You know him?"

"Yeah I know him. We go way back." I groaned. "I guess I better go find out what he wants."

"I'll come with you," Bella offered.

I sighed, and she followed me out of my room. I let the door slam behind me.

"Damn bastard." I hissed. Why the hell couldn't he just leave me alone?

I felt Bella's eyes staring at me. "Not Jasper," I explained quickly. "The dude who came here. Aro whatever-his-last-name is. I never really paid attention to him."

"And you know him from…?" she asked as we climbed down the stairs.

"He uh… was the one who first suggested I start swimming."

"Oh. What does he want now?"

I quickly told her the story of him showing up at my house over winter break and telling my dad I shouldn't swim anymore.

She gasped when I got to this part, but mainly stayed quiet.

We arrived at my coach's office just then.

"I'll wait out here." Bella offered. I nodded.

I knocked and pushed open the door.

I closed the door awkwardly behind me, and stood there for a moment.

"Edward! Good to see you!" I heard Aro's annoying voice chirp.

I shook his hand grudgingly, and sat down on a chair.

"I trust your well?" he asked innocently.

I nodded tersely. "I'm fine, thank you."

My coach took over from there. "Edward, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. This man has just come here to suggest you be taken off the swim team-,"

"_What_?" I practically shout.

"Let me finish Edward." My coach says slowly. "He's told me he has consent from both your parents. Not written consent, just consent. I have no reason to believe him. Edward, you're the best swimmer on our team. I'd hate to lose you for any reason. What I want to know is, do you believe the swim team is interfering with your health?"

"_No_!" I hissed. "It's not! I'm perfectly fine. What happened in December that was nothing. I swallowed water, and didn't get enough sleep. That's hardly reason enough for me to be pulled off the team. I've done it before. I make stupid mistakes."

"I know you have, Edward. Which is why I don't think the swim team is the best idea for you-," I couldn't help but interrupt Aro. This man was getting on my last nerve, and if he didn't shut up soon, he was going to get punched so hard in the mouth his jaw would shatter.

"You're not my father. You just can't come here, and order me to be taken off the team. I have the Trials in a couple of months. If I'm not ready for that… if I get removed from the team, I'll go back into that depression that my parent's deaths sent me into fourteen years ago. I don't want that. Swimming gives me something to live for. Not swimming is like… not breathing. It's not possible."

My coach took control of everything again. "Edward, I have an idea. How about I call your parents and arrange a meeting for next weekend. We can talk about this then. Until then, you will continue training and conditioning with me"

I nodded and got up to leave I shoved coldly past Aro to get the door. I was so mad at him right not, words couldn't even explain it.

I let the door slam behind me. I heard Bella's soft footfalls, muffled by the carpet, approach me. I pinched the bridge of my nose, and slide to the floor, leaning my back against the wall.

I felt the muffled vibrations as Bella slid right down next to me, and took my hand in hers.

"What happened, Edward?" she asked quietly.

"That… bastard wants to 'remove me from the swim team' because he believes it's 'interfering with my health'." I didn't care if he happened to hear me through the walls of the office. I wanted him to know how much he irked me, and the hell he was putting me through. "What am I going to do if my parents actually agree with him? What if I get kicked off the team because my parents worry too much, not because I'm not fast? The Trials are in a few months, and if I'm not ready… I don't even know what I'd do. I just can't believe I might miss the Trials. I can't imagine what would happen if I did."

Bella sighed. I took my hand from hers and instead wrapped my arm around her shoulders. Even inside this warm building, it felt like the temperature had dropped and nothing could warm it back up. Like the earth had been torn out from under my feet, and I was falling. Sitting next to Bella was like a lifeline- someone I could count on, and depend on if I had to.

"I could coach you, Edward. Or… try. I bet you could still go to the Trials and if we work something out with your coach so it only seems like you're not on the team to your parents, then maybe… you might be able to go to the Trials and do really well."

It was my turn to sigh. "I just don't know. Coach said he'd schedule a meeting with my parents next weekend to talk about this. If Aro really did screw my life up the way I thing he will… I might just have to take you up on the offer."

I kissed her cheek softly, before I stood up and helped her to her feet.

"C'mon. It's getting late. I still have to practice in the morning."

I took Bella's warm hand in mine.

"Edward…" Bella murmured softly. "Thank you. For… everything."

"Technically, I should be thanking you. You have no idea how much you've helped me. I'm forever in your debt."

I could feel the heat coming off her face as I kissed her lips softly.

**Okay. I'm happy. Yell at me all want, but I'm happy. My favorite holiday is tomorrow, I posted, I get to drive my swim coach insane to night…. I can't wait to get my hands on a huge plate of food. All ready, I'm starved. **

**Okay, what did you all think of that chapter? I thought it was sweet. But my opinion doesn't really matter. I might update Friday, on both my stories. I'll try not to like, die again. I couldn't help it. I drowned in a sea of math homework. So… review guys! I haven't heard from anybody in so long!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys. God, Thanksgiving dinner was good. Sure, I got annoyed the hell out of by my cousins, but I lived with it. Practice was… brutal. Three injuries in one morning. Ugh! I promised a chapter, and here you go. **

Chapter Ten

I worked my butt off in the following week, trying as hard as possible to make it known to my coach that I truly wanted to stay on the team. During sprint sets, I never complained. For once, I took every word of advice to heart, and found that a couple of the tips actually helped a lot. My times kept going down, that was for sure.

Friday morning, after I'd finished my four hundred warm down, and pulled on my sweats to go back across campus, Coach stopped me for a minute.

"Edward, your parents are going to be here tomorrow morning for that meeting. Be at my office at ten o' clock."

I groaned. No way did I want to show up at that meeting. I knew I had to. If it had anything to do with me continuing to swim, I was there. I just didn't want to listen to my parents.

"Oh, and there's no practice tomorrow. I'm giving you the day off." I nodded.

"Why?"

"I don't need you getting behind on sleep again. You've got a meet in a couple of weeks. No way am I going to lose my best swimmer to _sleep deprivation_. 'Sides, it'll go over well with your parents if they think you aren't working too hard."

I nodded. "That makes sense."

I grabbed my backpack and left the pool. I only had one class today, and that wasn't until ten thirty.

I went back to my dorm. I put the key in as quietly as possible. I could hear Jasper's snores through the closed door, and I knew he hated being woke up at six in the morning.

I tossed my backpack in the corner, threw my towel over my chair, and changed out of my swim suit before I collapsed on the bed in just a pair of flannel pants.

Jasper's alarm clock woke me up as my watch beeped nine times. I had an hour and a half before my class started. I quickly jumped in the shower and changed my clothes before I went to grab something to eat. I was starving.

As I was walking out of the dorm, Alice came running up with Bella. I could hear her squealing form a mile away.

"God Alice, are you trying to make the poor girl go deaf?" I asked, smiling.

I could feel Bella smile back at me.

"No!" Alice hissed.

"Then tone it down a bit. You make my ears ring," I laughed.

She punched my arm, and Bella burst out laughing. She didn't hurt me a bit, but I'm guessing she hurt her hand.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!" she hissed. "I swear to God-."

I cut her off. "I'm sorry, Alice. How 'bout I make it up to you?"

I could feel her glaring at me. "How?" she asked suspiciously.

"I… let you take me shopping?" inwardly, I groaned. I hated going shopping. I knew she wouldn't refuse. Maybe I could fake an illness to get out of it.

Alice squealed. I could feel the vibrations as her feet hit the ground repeatedly.

"How 'bout tomorrow?"

I shook my head. "I have a meeting at ten."

"We can go when it's over! You need some new clothes." She spoke demonically.

"Now you sound like mom."

Alice turned around and ignored me. I smiled and rolled my eyes at her, and took Bella's hand.

"Let's follow her," I murmured.

I heard Bella giggle evilly. "As long as she's not leading us to hell."

I had to fight back a laugh. "I doubt that. Wanna come along tomorrow? I'll be able to bear it if you're there." I didn't know what possessed me to say that, but I knew it was true.

I could feel the heat coming off of her in waves. "Shopping is my definition of hell," she told me.

Ahead of us, Alice gasped. "Take that back!"

"I'm sorry, Alice, it's just that I find it a waste of time," Bella mumbled sheepishly.

"You're kidding! Edward, what did you do to her?" Alice demanded.

"Nothing!" Bella and I laughed at the same time.

"Alice," I spoke calmly. "Let's go get something to eat. I have class in a few minutes."

"I _will _turn you into a shopping fan." Alice vowed.

"You can try," Bella held my hand tighter.

Alice dragged us to the cafeteria. I couldn't help but taunt her. I hadn't actually spent a day making her life miserable since I was a little kid. I'd tried in the past, but it never worked out too well. Now… now she was going to resent me a bit.

Alice spent all of breakfast trying to convince Bella to like shopping. In the end, Alice had gotten her to agree to come. I was going to suffer tomorrow, I knew that. Me, shopping with Alice, for clothes. What a horrible idea.

I spent the rest of the day doing homework on my new computer, trying desperately to kill time.

I fell asleep without eating dinner, and woke up completely starved the following morning. When I realized what day it was, I groaned and rolled over, trying to fall back asleep. There was no way I wanted to go to that meeting.

I heard my watch beep eight times I sighed and climbed out of bed. I knew I wasn't going to fall back asleep, and I needed some food.

I got dressed and headed downstairs and outside. I grabbed breakfast and ate outside at one of the tables. It was quiet and awfully hot for a January morning. That was one thing I liked about Maryland, you never really knew what temperature it was going to be. One day it could snow, the next be seventy-five degrees.

I ate slowly, trying to delay having to go to Coach's office for as long as possible.

When my watch alarm went off at nine forty-five, I knew I couldn't delay it any longer. I threw my trash away, and headed down to my coach's office, a feeling of dread settling into my stomach.

I knocked twice on the door and walked in. Sure enough, my parents were already there. My mother ran at me and hugged me before I could push her away.

My mother finally stopped suffocating me; I sat down next to her and my father.

I heard my coach close the door, and take his seat.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. Edward is an amazing swimmer, and I have no idea why that dude came here last Friday night, and told me you said he wasn't allowed to swim anymore."

I could feel the confusion rolling off my parent sin waves. "We never said he had to stop swimming." Mt father replied. "Quite the opposite, in fact. We've _always_ encouraged him to keep swimming."

"Would you care to explain why some Aro fellow came here last week, then, telling us he had your consent to take Edward off the swim team?"

My father groaned. I heard him mumbling incoherent words to himself, catching a couple phrases like 'damn bastard's going to pay' and 'should of saw this coming.'

My mother started whispering to my dad.

"Aro, you said?" my mother asked, skeptically. "But why would such a nice man come here and do that? He's known our family for ages, and he simply adores Alice and Edward. Always asks how they're doing, what they've been up to, and whatnot."

"Mom, he's not a nice guy. I've tried to tell you that for nine years. He's a freaking bastard who wants our family's money."

"Language, Edward," my mother reprimanded me. I rolled my eyes. "And don't you roll your eyes at me, either."

"He was talking about taking Edward out of swimming that day he came over during the kids' winter break, but I never imagined he would take it as far as to do this!" My father muttered.

I knew I wasn't supposed to have heard that conversation. "Huh?"

My mother stepped in. "Aro came to visit one day during the holidays. He and your father got in an argument over whether or not you should swim anymore. "

I nodded.

"I just don't get why he would do that," of course, neither of my parents cared to listen to me when it came to Aro, or any of my parent's old friends.

"'Cause, Dad. He wants to meddle and screw with my life, and make our family go broke," I hissed harshly.

"I get that Edward. I don't get why."

"He let his love of money blind him?" I guessed. My father chuckled at that.

"Maybe."

My coach intervened then. "So what are we going to do about this? After Edward left my office last Friday night, this Aro what's-his-name dude actually threatened to remove Edward from this school all together if he wasn't removed from the swim team in a week's time."

I stared, astounded at mat coach. I'd always known that Aro was bad news, but to go so far as to _threaten_ my coach, and try to remove me from my school and my favorite sport was enough to push me over the edge.

I felt similar emotions coming off my parents, and I could only imagine the thoughts going through their heads.

Finally, my father spoke. "I haven't a clue as to why Aro would do that, but there is no way I'm going to allow for Edward to be taken off the swim team, or removed from this school. If Aro shows up again, or calls or anything of the like, call me or my wife immediately. We will personally contact Aro, and speak with him about this."

I'm sure my coach nodded at this. "Will do."

It was quiet for a moment, and then my father asked, "How's practice been going lately?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," I said. "Practice has been great."

"He's an amazing swimmer. He could probably swim in the Olympics if he wanted to. He'd just have to work a little bit harder." I rolled my eyes. Bella told me that all the time. Until now, though, I hadn't actually believed I had a chance. Now, I paused to actually consider it, as my coach continued. "I mean, his times are excellent. He's taken seconds off his times in practice, and after those great swims at Nationals, I know he can stand against the competition and come out on top. It wouldn't take long to get him to Olympic caliber, and it definitely wouldn't be any trouble."

I bowed my head. "Thanks, Coach," I mumbled.

"I'm serious, Edward. A month of hard-core conditioning, and you'd be ready for anything."

I nodded quietly. My phone in my pocket vibrated. "Hold on a second. I'll be right back."

I stood up and left the office, flipping my phone open in the process.

"Hello?" I asked hesitantly.

"Hello, Edward."

Oh God! I knew that voice, and at the moment, I completely despised the person it belong to. "What the _hell_ do you want now, Aro?"

"I just wanted to ask how that meeting with your parents went," he told me innocently.

"Never call me again," I hissed.

"There's no need to act like that Edward."

"I believe you've screwed with my life enough. Leave me _alone_."

"What's bothering you, Edward?"

"Right now, you."

"I only did what I believed to be best for you."

That struck a nerve. "Explain, or I hang up."

"Swimming is messing up your health Edward. If anything were to happen to you, I would take full credit. You know that. But if you don't want something like that to happen again, I suggest you tell me what happened."

"Swimming is my life, and so far, the problems with my health have had nothing to do with swimming." I paused. "Why the hell would you take full credit when it would my freaking fault I got sick?" I didn't even register the fact that he threatened me.

"Because, Edward," he explained in that belittling voice that made me sound like a child. "I'm the one who suggested you start swimming in the first place. I took credit when you were in the hospital three years ago."

"I don't remember seeing you there."

"You were delirious, and in and out of consciousness for three weeks. I highly doubt you'd remember that."

That really stuck a nerve. "I'm hanging up now. Good-bye," I flipped the phone shut, and leaned back against the wall, sliding down to the floor, almost exactly like I had a week ago. I could feel my phone vibrating in my hand, but I didn't dare answer it. If that bastard couldn't get the message and leave me alone, I'd make sure he'd wake up one morning, extremely lost and confused, in _Ireland_.

I sat there, pinching the bridge of my nose, trying to fight of a headache. His words had resurfaced memories I'd tried desperately to hide. The sounds of my mother and father talking worriedly, my mother crying, the sound of the respirator that kept me breathing those three weeks, the annoying beeping of the heart monitor that drove me crazy, everything.

I sat there for God knows how long. Neither my parents nor my coach ever left the office. It occurred to me then that they might be the ones trying to call me. I still didn't dare to answer the phone.

I heard soft footfalls on the carpet. "Edward?" a soft voice asked. "Alice and I have been looking everywhere for you!" Bella paused. "Are you okay?"

She slid down next to me, just like she had a week ago. I numbly shook my head.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

"Aro called," I mumbled.

"Oh," she inhaled sharply. "Edward, I know you can't stand that guy. What did he say to upset you so much?"

"He uh… he reminded me of what happened when I was fifteen."

"Oh. I remember you telling me about that. You got pneumonia, right?"

I nodded. "I used to have a coach that hated my guts. He threw me into the pool before practice, and then made me run laps outside. It was the dead of winter and I was soaking wet. By the end of the five miles, every part of me hurt, and I felt like a Popsicle that had freezer-burn. I didn't even get in the water after that, I just grabbed my stuff and left. I'd called my mom on my phone, and told her to come and pick me up, that I wasn't feeling well. A couple days later, the guy was fired, and I was sick."

"I'm sorry. What did you do… to make the coach hate you so much."

I laughed lightly. "It wasn't what I did, more like what I didn't do. I didn't like his methods of telling the kids what and what not to do. He'd scream and yell till they were so intimidated they had to get it right. I mostly just zoned him out. That morning… I guess I just went to far when I ignored him. He didn't like kids, especially me."

"That sucks."

I nodded. "Being reminded of it when you've finally put it all behind you does, too."

"You shouldn't let him bother you like that."

I sighed. "I know. The guy just gets inside my head and drives me crazy. I wish I knew how to block him out, but it's impossible."

"I know," Bella took my hand and squeezed my fingers.

We sat there in total silence. I wrapped my arm around her, and she leaned her head against my shoulder. It felt nice, her warm skin against mine.

I heard the door open, and I jumped.

"There you are, Edward," my mother gushed. "I've been trying to call you for the past hour."

"Sorry, mom," I mumbled. "Lost track of time."

"I'll say! Who was that, anyway?"

"Three guesses."

I could feel my mother's gaze intensify.

"Aro called you? What did he want?"

"He wanted to know about the meeting… then he reminded me about what happened three years ago… and he sort of threatened me… he said if I didn't want something like that to happen again, I would have to tell him what happened at the meeting. I ignored him, though." I mumbled.

"Edward!" My mother crouched down next to me. "Why didn't you come in and tell us?"

"Headache," I shrugged. "Then Bella came and found me. She and Alice were looking…."

"Carlisle," my mother stood up and said. "Let's get going. It's a long drive back to Chicago, and I need to give your 'friend' a piece of my mind for threatening ym son that way."

"No mom, don't make any trou-," my mother cut me off.

"Edward, I will make all the trouble I have to if this idiot is going to threaten you like he just did. He has no right to do so."

I sighed. I didn't feel up to a fight right now.

"Bye Edward," my mother told me. "Good-bye, Bella. Nice seeing you again."

I had no idea how my mom could dot hat sometimes, one minute be threatening, the next bright and cheerful. I knew that she was still angry, though.

"Bye, son," my dad told me.

I said bye to both of them, and listened to their muffled footsteps as they left.

I groaned and banged my head against the wall.

"Wow, Edward," Bella whispered.

I nodded. "My life sucks."

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that. You just have a lot to deal with, is all."

"Yeah, I do." I paused. "Bella… you want to do some technique work tomorrow? I'd take you to dinner afterwards, of course."

"Sure, Edward, I'd love to."

I smiled. "Thanks Bella. For everything.

**So what did you guys think? I thought the beginning went a little off topic, but you get the point. Edward loves to annoy Alice, and Alice loves to shop, no matter how many victims she drags along.**

**Review guys! I gotta know what you think! I might update tomorrow. Actually… I probably will, since I don't want to do my community service prject. Later!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys. My mum and I just got finished putting up the Christmas tree… well, more like she put it up, and I got cut up for not knowing how to do it right. Stupid artificial tree with its sharp fake branches….**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter. I would've typed it earlier, but I had a little trouble coming up with the idea.**

Chapter Eleven

The rest of the weekend passed quickly. Alice had kidnapped Bella, and taken her down to Washington D.C. for the remainder of the weekend, (once it became obvious I wasn't leaving school, even to pay Alice back. She could wait till her birthday for repentance) so I didn't have my extra practice with her. That gave an extra hour to work on my homework, but less time to spend on swimming, and the technique work I desperately needed.

I woke up earlier than usual on Monday morning and got to my practice ten minutes earlier than I intended. I sat down on the pool deck and stretched out more thoroughly than was probably necessary.

I leaned back against the wall when I was done. I needed a hard workout to get my mind off of… well… everything. I shrugged my jacket off. Even in the dead of winter, the humid air around the pool could get to be a bit much at times.

I heard the footsteps as my coach came up, talking to another swimmer. Our team was small, maybe fifty swimmers in all, and a lot of them practiced later in the morning, especially the older team members. There were maybe ten swimmers in all at this practice, and with ten lanes, and different levels for each one, we all got our own lane and our own workout. It was annoying at times, but in the end, it was mainly just to make us better swimmers.

My coach sighed as he dropped his backpack onto one of the hard plastic chairs. I heard his heavy footsteps on the tiled floor, and he came over and sat down next to me.

"Edward…" he started slowly. I groaned instantly. I hated it when he started any conversation like that. Bad news usually followed.

"What is it now?" I muttered.

"Er… your parents called me yesterday." He stated awkwardly. I groaned again. Yep, bad news, and this was definitely not something I wanted to hear.

"And?" I prompted.

"Er… well they talked to that nut job psychiatrist… and well… they said they actually agree with him."

Anger flooded through me. The next time I saw that dude, he was going to get punched in the face. What could he have told my parents to make them agree with them? I swear if he reminded them about anything that had happened three years ago… if those memories had unnerved me, there was no telling what they had done to my mother. Maybe that's what made her succumb to him.

"Why?" I croaked. My throat was dry.

"I dunno. I know one thing though, I sure as hell ain't going to kick you off my team for that. You're the best swimmer we've got, and you got the most dedication of any of my swimmers, regardless of everything that's happened to you. I wanna see you do well, whether it's at the Olympics, or the Paralympics."

I sighed. "Thanks, Coach. But, if I'm supposed to be taken off the team, what am I supposed to tell my parents about meets and stuff? They're the ones that pay for the hotel rooms and all. There's no way I can go to Michigan in two months without them there."

"I'll talk some sense into them, no problem. Except… I gotta make it sound like you're all ready off the team, and I want you back on it. So… if you're parents call, don't say anything to make them think you're still swimming."

I nodded. "That's easy. I never answer my phone anymore."

My coach nodded. "Get your cap on. We're in the water in two minutes."

I pulled my cap out of the bag, and snapped it down over my hair. I pulled my goggles out and slid them over my wrist before I pulled my warm-up pants off.

I went to the farthest lane, bent down, and splashed myself with water before I pulled my goggles on.

Coach told all of us that warm up was a six hundred. I nodded and jumped in the water. A six hundred was simple enough. Good to warm up the muscles, and get you ready for the practice ahead.

The practice was just what I needed it to be- hard, demanding, and tiring. By the time I finally climbed out of the water, I was surprised that I could still stand. I'd been worked hard before, but that was probably the hardest practice this year. I was thankful that it was winter, and we weren't outside running laps like we would have to do in the spring. I knew that if I had run five miles before this practice, I'd probably be dead.

I jerked my cap off and pulled on my warm ups before I even bothered to dry off. I was tired, and didn't feel like hanging around the pool for once.

My coach came up behind me, and clapped me on the shoulder. "Good practice," he told me. "You still need to work on that backstroke, though. Watching you weave all over that lane and miss the wall on your flips turns is eventually going to give me a heart attack."

I gave a small grin. "Sorry, Coach. I'll work on it."

"Fix that stroke count, add a stroke or two, and if you end up breaking your wrist on the wall, you know you're too close."

I laughed. "Thanks."

"I'm serious, though. Add a stroke, but don't kill yourself. You can't afford to get injured now. Has your wrist given you any trouble since that meet?"

I shook my head. "It's been great. Hasn't hurt a bit."

"Good. Can't have an old injury acting up right now."

I nodded.

"Go back to your dorm and get some sleep, kid. You look beat."

I shrugged. Sure, I'd lost a little sleep over the weekend. I planned on making it up though. I had a class this around eleven. That gave me a good three and a half hours of sleep if I left now.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," I told him, and left for my dorm.

I sat alone outside during lunch. My class had gotten out a little late, and I was really feeling this morning practice in my legs. There was just something about backstroke that really made me hurt.

"Hey, Edward." I heard Alice chirp as she slid a chair back and sat down. "What's up?"

"Nothing," I shrugged.

"Hard practice this morning?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"Just curious!" Alice defended.

I rolled my eyes.

"God, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"I'm fine, Alice. Honestly. Just a little ticked off."

"I can see that. Why are you all ticked off?"

"That damn bastard who's been making my life hell these past few weeks." I was glad she didn't reprimand me for my language.

"Oh, God, what did he do now?"

"He convinced mom and dad that I shouldn't swim anymore. And then they actually called my Coach and told him that."

"God, that sucks! Did they tell him to take you off the team?"

I nodded. "Not happening. I have less than two months till my Michigan meet, then I have one in Minnesota a week later, then a little more than a month till the trials. There's no chance I'm getting kicked off the team now."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"Not really… this just shows how far he'll go to get me off the team. He won't even tell me why he wants me to stop swimming. He says he's concerned for my health, but there's no way that could be the real reason."

"You've got point there. He never cared before, and I'll bet he doesn't now." Alice sighed. "Can I have a bite of that?" she asked.

I nodded, and shoved my lunch at her. "I'm not hungry, anyway."

I knew she was surprised. "You must be really torn up. Since when are you not hungry?"

"Since this morning at three thirty. 'Sides, I ate a big breakfast." That was true. I had to have had at least three times my usual helping of pancakes.

"Whatever. Sow what do you really think it is that he wants?"

I sighed. "I honestly have no clue. More money, I know that. The chance to screw my life up for good? I dunno."

"Hang in there, bro. In a month and a half, you'll be kicking butt in Michigan breaking records like there's no tomorrow, and Aro'll just have to stand by and watch you do it all. Then maybe he'll leave you alone."

"I doubt it."

"You're too pessimistic."

"You're too optimistic!"

"You two bicker too much!" a new voice broke through our argument. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Of course not," Alice told her hurriedly.

"Thanks," I knew form Bella's tone of voice that she was smiling. "Why exactly were the two of you arguing, anyway?"

"Alice is overly optimistic, and compared to her, I'm pessimistic, just because I see the realism in things, and she doesn't."

"I see the realism in things!" Alice disagreed. "I just… choose to ignore it."

I shook my head.

"Crap," Alice hissed. "Later Edward, Bella. Can't be late for class."

On an instant, she was gone.

"Hyperactive pixie," I muttered.

"Who, Alice?"

I smiled. "Yeah. She's always like that, running around, acting like she's had too much sugar."

"She's perky all right." Bella agreed.

I nodded. "How was D.C.?"

"Ugh," Bella groaned. "Horrible."

I laughed. "That bad?"

"I rather have been here, working on a fifteen page Literature paper."

"I don't blame you. I'd take the paper any day."

"I'm sorry I didn't help you on your stroke this weekend. You've got three meets coming up pretty soon, huh?"

"Yeah." I paused for a moment. "How about tonight, instead? You're class gets out at four thirty, right?" I asked, remembering that she'd been late last time.

"Four forty-five but close enough. That sounds good, actually."

"Do you still ant help on your butterfly?" I asked, recalling the conversation we'd had in the restaurant that morning after the meet.

"You don't have to…" she trailed off.

"I don't have to, but I want to. Besides, why not? It wouldn't be hard. Even blind, I can still pick up how often someone's hands hit the water, and if they're strokes uneven. Butterfly is the easiest stroke for that. It has a distinct rhythm that's really easy to pick up."

Bella laughed. "I get the point. All right, I'll bring my bathing suit. Meet me outside the pool at five o' clock.

I nodded. "Sounds good."

"See you then," with that, Bella stood up and left.

I was waiting outside the pool at five o' clock. Bella was only a couple minutes late.

"Sorry," she told me. "I had to run back to my dorm."

"It's fine. I haven't been waiting long," which was true. I'd only been there for about five minutes.

As we walked into building, Bella asked, "Was practice hard this morning?"

"I shrugged. Nothing too bad. Sure, it was the hardest practice yet, but, you know, it wasn't like I died or anything." I shoved open the door, and slowly climbed down the steps, holding on to the hand rail.

"Anything specific you need to work on?"

"Ugh. Backstroke."

"What's wrong with your backstroke?"

"I keep missing the wall on my flip turns, I'm all over the lane when I swim it, that sort of thing." I heard the door creak as Bella pushed it open, and a hot blast of humid air hit me.

"That's not too bad."

"Not too bad? That's horrible. I can't even swim a straight line!"

"Yeah, but that's easy to fix. I'm pretty good at backstroke, remember?" Bella stopped walking. "Here's fine."

I nodded, and dropped my backpack on the ground. I pulled my sweat off, and pulled my cap and goggles on.

"Get in and do a fifty easy. I'll meet you on the other side."

"That's it?"

"I'm not here to kill you. You're coach does a pretty good job of that on his own."

I shrugged, and jumped in the water, swimming freestyle as slowly as possible to the other side of the pool. When I hit the wall, I pulled my goggles off.

"Do a hundred backstroke. I want to see exactly what you're problems are."

I nodded, pulled my goggles back on, and pushed off. Right from the start I careened into the lane line. I kicked harder to angle away from it, but sure enough, my other hand hit the other lane line. I tried to focus more, and when I'd tied my stroke count, I flipped over. My toes barely even brushed the wall. I hade to kick harder to make up for it. I didn't hit the lane line on the second fifty, but I knew I was still all over the place. In a race, that added seconds to your time, and made your stroke count longer. It also tired you out.

I stopped at the wall. Pulling my goggles off, I asked, "See my problem now?"

"Yep. You got to _focus_, for one thing. I know this isn't a race, but that doesn't mean you can't loose focus. The harder you practice, the better of a swimmer you'll actually become. If you practice what you're going to do in a race, then you'll actually swim that way in a race. For another, add an extra half stroke before you roll over for your flips turn. You won't miss the wall anymore. Oh, and if it helps, try sloshing your eyes when you swim. My old coaches in Phoenix always yelled at me for it, but it helps steady you're concentration, and block everything else right out. Swim another hundred, and then we'll work some on your turns."

I nodded, and shoving off to do anther hundred. Closing my eyes helped a bit. I didn't hit the lane lien at all this time, so that at least meat I wasn't all over the place.

I remembered to take an extra half stroke before I rolled over for my freestyle pull and flipped. It worked. I hit the wall squarely and shoved off, more powerful and faster than I'd remembered.

When I hit the wall on the other side, I pulled my goggles off. Bella was talking to someone. A guy by the sound of it. I recognized his voice, too.

"Coach?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"

My coach laughed a little. "I was helping a swimmer on their reaction times. I was just leaving when I saw Miss Swan here working on your backstroke. I watched both of the one hundreds, and the difference is remarkable. I was just asking Miss Swan if she wouldn't mind waking up at three every morning to come down and help coach I the mornings."

"Wouldn't they want a qualified coach, though?" Bella asked.

"I'll say I'm training you. I'll pay you, of course. You've worked wonders with Edward. His backstroke may actually rival Ryan Lochte's now."

"Don't use that as an excuse to deck enter me in any backstroke events," I told them. "I got enough to swim."

"Good point." My coach agreed. "So, Bella, will I see you tomorrow morning, bright and early? I'd of course have you work with Edward. I have nine other swimmers. Each needs a different work out, and Edward is the one who needs the most conditioning. I just don't have time to watch all ten of them."

"I'll be there, don't worry," Bella promised.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow, Bella, Edward."

"Wow." Bella murmured.

"I'll say. You actually get to be an assistant coach. How incredible is that?" I asked.

"Too good to be true. Not only that, but I get to help him coach you."

"Isn't that what you've been doing lately?"

"Well yeah, but not officially. I mean now, it's like official and all."

"Not to mention you get to go to the meets. The disability opens and all. You'd even get to go to the Trials."

"Which ones?" Bella asked. "I still think you could go to the Olympics, and your coach was just telling me that he aggress whole heartedly. You just got to knock a couple seconds off those times in Michigan, and you're a shoo-in."

I groaned. "Not that again…"

"I'm not going to give up on that until you realize it, too."

"You'll have to wait forever, then."

"I'm willing."

"I'll meet you on the other side. It's time I coached you."

I pulled my goggles back on, and took off, swim a quick and effortless fifty fly to the other side.

I climbed out and grabbed my towel out of my bag.

"Your fly is amazing," Bella told me.

"Thanks. Get in and swim a hundred fly."

"Okay," I heard the splash as Bella jumped in. I sat right on the edge of the pool deck, straining my ears to listen to her arms hitting the water. Every second or third stroke, there was a pause where hers arms nor her legs kicked, and I knew that was when she was breathing. I also noticed she only kicked once for every stroke.

When she stopped on the wall, she asked, "How was that?"

"Pretty good, just try to kick twice for every stroke, it'll feel weird at first, but it's faster, and it helps a lot with your rhythm."

"All right." Bella took off to do another hundred.

She honestly wasn't a bad flyer. She just had trouble with her rhythm, and breathing patterns. Once those got sorted out, it'd be easier for her to swim fly. I gave her a couple tips on how to straighten those to out.

After about a half hour of that, she climbed out and dried off. We talked about idle thing- school mostly. After I pulled my sweats on over my swim suit, I offered to walk her back to her dorm, and then to dinner.

She agreed, and after we stopped by both our dorms, and had both changed out of our wet clothes, we walked to diner, hand in hand.

**Wow, I finished this with half an hour to spare! Sorry it took a while. I fell down right before dinner (in a Bella moment…) and cracked my head against an old chair in the kitchen. Just my luck. It took forever to convince my mom that I was fine. Anyway, I gotta get off to bed. It's late, and I'm pretty sure I've been on the computer long enough.**

**Night guys! Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys. I can't wait to get back to practice tomorrow night. I love aggravating my coach. It's so much fun. Well… until her decides to drives me crazy instead. Then he's just plain annoying. Oh, also, there are two possible sites for the Olympic trials. I picked the one I liked, because, trust me, the Quest center is nice, and the Myrtha pools they set up are great.**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

Chapter Twelve

The next month and a half went great. Practice became twice as enjoyable. My coach only gave me sets, while Bella sat on the block watching me swim. My coach joked that she was my personal trainer. We would both laugh at that, but I kind of liked it. I knew it took a lot of work off my coach's shoulders, and he was amazed by the improvements my stroke took.

We were both excited for the Michigan meet in a couple of days. I was dying to swim against my competition for the Trials. Bella and my coach both had teamed up against me, trying to convince me that my times were good enough to seem at the Olympic Trials in the middle of June. They were starting to get to me… sort of. I had a lot of doubts about it. I told them both I'd think about it more if I qualified for anything at the Michigan meet. I wasn't going to turn it down if I qualified. But if I didn't, I'd still go to the Paralympic Trials in a month.

My coach was having trouble convincing my parents that I needed to be on the swim team. The meet was only a couple days away, and the three of us already had out plane tickets and everything. I didn't look forward to sharing a hotel room with the both of them, though. If worst came to worst, and my parents still refused, somebody would be stuck on the pullout couch.

Practice before the meet was as easy as ever. So easy, I actually had trouble killing time before classes. I spent as much time hanging out with Alice and Bella or Jasper and Emmett, as possible, but it still wasn't enough time to kill. And it definitely wasn't fun listening to Emmett go on and on about Rosalie. It was just weird to hear him talk about Jasper's sister like that. I knew Jasper felt weirded out, too.

I enjoyed spending time with Bella, whenever Alice was off campus shopping, or hanging out with Jasper. It was nice to talk to her, without having to worry about anything. Alice teased me for spending so much time with her, but I ignored her. I had to admit, I liked Bella. A lot. But I knew there was no way she could feel the same way about me. She was smart, and talented. I was good at music and swimming, sure, but aside form that, I didn't have much else I could depend on.

My last practice Wednesdays morning was as simple as it could possibly be. We hardly did more than a four thousand meter workout, easy as possible when I was used to somewhere between ten and fifteen thousand meters in two and a half hours.

I climbed out, feeling as if I'd hardly done any work, when my coach clapped me on the shoulder. "Good practice Edward."

I nodded. "Thanks."

"Your stroke looks better everyday. It's amazing."

"Thanks to Bella," I smiled.

"That girl is really something. Anyway, meet me at my office around noon tomorrow. We'll head up to the airport then. I haven't had any luck convincing your parents, sorry 'bout that." she honestly did sound apologetic.

I shrugged. "It's no big deal… but wait. Next week is spring break. And the Minnesota meet starts the Friday during spring break. What am I supposed to tell my parents when I don't show up when they come to pick my siblings and myself up?"

"I got it covered, don't worry." My coach told me.

"All right."

I towel my hair off quickly, and pulled my T-shirt on. For early March, it was hot. I knew we were all going to have to start running again soon. I just hoped it'd be after the Trials in April. I hated running, no matter how short a distance it was. It's not that I didn't know the track or anything. Just that I didn't like to run for half an hour before having to swim for two and a half hours. It was harder.

"You've got today off, right?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, do you?" I asked, pulling my sweatpants on.

"Nah. I only have one class today, though. So it's not too bad."

"That's good," I smiled, and we started walking to the door together.

"I guess. It'd be cool to get a day off from classes, though."

"Spring breaks next week. Isn't a week off from classes enough?" I was joking. I knew a week off from classes wasn't enough. I was dying for summer already.

"I guess. I get to go to Michigan and Minnesota. That's probably the best way I've ever spent my spring break."

"I've gone there every year since I was eleven. It wears off after a while, trust me."

"It can't be that bad. It' sstill got to be cool to go to those meets."

"Yeah, I guess. It's so hard to set them up though. There's only two a year, and they're back to back. Trust me, four years is not enough time to train for the Paralympics."

"No, but it is enough to train for the Olympics."

"You're never going to give that up, are you?"

"Nope. C'mon! You have to see my point. Edward, you're one of the top swimmers in the world. Your times already qualify for the Olympic Trials. Not to mention you'd have an extra month and a half to train before the meet in Omaha."

"I told you I'd think about it. What more do you need?"

"I need you to finally realize your abilities!" Bella exclaimed. "Edward, you're incredible in the water. You practice almost twenty hours a week, and I know you focus on other thing aside from working just in the water. Your coach makes you go to the gym and run and lift weights and all, so that's another ten hours a week. I know you could go to the Olympics."

I sighed. "Bella, how many times have we had this argument the past month, exactly?"

"More times than I can count."

"And have I given in yet?"

"No, but neither have I. What do I have to do to convince you that you're good enough? Compare your times to the Olympic qualifying ones? That's easy. I printed them out last night."

"Can we save this for the plane ride tomorrow?" I asked.

"Sure, but by then I'll have everything marked down, and you know you're going to end up agreeing with me."

I rolled my eyes. "If you say so."

"I'm never going to give this up. I know you could do it. I just don't get why you don't believe you can."

I didn't know the answer to that.

"I don't know, Bella. That's one question I can't answer."

"Than agree with me, and I'll leave you be."

By then, we'd reached my dorm room. I shoved open the door, and threw my stuff in the corner. I didn't hear Jasper snoring, and the room was dead quiet. I figured he'd left early.

I sat down on my bed, and Bella sat down next to me. "Edward, there's nothing wrong with trying to do something harder than what you're used to."

"It's not that it's harder. It's that… I've tried, for so long, just to make it to the Paralympics. Until this year, nobody ever told me exactly how good I was. Nobody. My parents didn't even bother. Now… I have people telling me left and right that I can do something I never deemed possible."

"It was always a possibility." Bella told me.

"Not to me. Ever since I was nine, my goal was to go to the Paralympics, because that's all I thought I could ever amount to. I stuck with that because I didn't want to be disappointed."

"You were afraid of being _disappointed_?" Bella burst out laughing. "I'm sorry," she said after a minute. "That was rude. But it was just so ridiculous. Edward, you certainly won't be disappointed. I admit, those Australians are brilliant in the water, and are the Chinese, but in a couple of months, me and your coach would have you whipped in to shape and ready to take on any one, even Michael Phelps and Ian Crocker."

I nodded. "I guess I'll try. But… Bella?"

I could feel excitement washing off of her in waves. "Are you serious?! Really?"

I couldn't help but laugh a little. "Of course. Bella, I need you to give me the run down on every swimmer whose times have all ready qualified for the Trials, and any swimmers from '08 that have a definite possibility of swimming this year."

"That's it? That's simple. I still can't believe you finally agree with me!"

"I was caving anyway. I doubt I would've lasted the weekend."

We sat there quietly for a moment. "I better get going. Get some sleep, Edward. You've got all day. And don't kill yourself doing anything," her voice turned scolding. "If I have to, I'll get Jasper to keep an eye on you. And Alice."

"All right, I won't leave my room except for meals. God, I feel like I just got grounded."

"I guess you sort of did." Bella stood up. "Later,. Edward. I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded. I heard the door open and shut. I waited just long enough o make sure she was at the end of the hall before I grabbed clean clothes and went to take a shower before breakfast.

I was ready to go at eleven thirty the following day. My backpack and gym bag were both packed. I couldn't wait to get going. Despite what I told Bella bout having done this for the past seven years, a feeling of excitement always settled in. I headed downstairs with both bags about ten minutes later. I wanted to be early. Our plane wasn't set to take off till two, but the earlier we got there, the sooner we got going, and the sooner I was in Michigan, hopefully beating my times, and breaking a couple of records.

My Coach's office door was open, and Bella was already inside, talking to my coach.

I went inside and sat down. after about ten minutes, we left. Coach took our stuff for us, and got in the front seat. Bell and I both climbed in the backseat, instead of arguing like little kids over the front seat. For some reason, we found this funny, and cracked up.

It took forever to get to the airport, and then even longer to actually get on the plane and take off.

I was sitting next to Bella, with my coach sitting in the seat across the aisle. He leaned over and listened as Bella gave me the rundown of all the swimmers I was most likely to compete against at the Trials in June. My coach had been ecstatic when Bella had told him that I was actually considering going to the Olympics. So ecstatic, in fact, he'd almost crashed the car. Trust Bella to tell him that _while_ he was driving, instead of when we got on the plane.

By the time we got to Michigan, Bell had me all caught up on the competition. I knew all about Michael Phelps and Ian Crocker. They were my biggest competition for butterfly. Apparently, Milorad Cavic was going to his country's Trials, as well. Everyone had heard about him losing to Michael Phelps by only a hundredth of a second. I knew he was serious competition, too.

My coach rented a car, and we drove to a hotel only a couple of block from the pool. The Greater Toledo Aquatic Club had been hosting these meets for years.

I spent the rest of the day hanging around the hotel room. It was weird, my parents not being here, and even weirder to think that I was doing something that they disapproved of. I had to though. Swimming was my life, and I knew I was going to work twice as hard if I was going to even compete at the trials. Only the top two swimmers could go to London. That meant I either had to beat Micheal Phelps, or Ian Crocker, or both.

I woke up early the next morning. The meet didn't start until the following day, but we were allowed to go to the pool for practice. I changed into my warm up suit in the bathroom, and pulled my sweats on over.

I was definitely ready, and charged up for the meet. I knew it had something to do with finally agreeing to try and go to the Olympic Trials, and try to actually beat the competition.

But it also had something to do with the usual excitement of the meet, too. I was always hyped up before I got a chance to race, and for whatever reason, always more so before an open meet.

Whatever the reason, I was ready.

**Okay, yeah I spent forever researching where the meets were supposed to be. I knew they were in Michigan and Minnesota, but finding the pools took a minute. Plus I was watching the colts game online and I got sidetracked. Oh, and the Greater Toledo Aquatic Club is an actual place. There's only a couple place in America that have the facilities to host the disability meets. I know this chapter was short, but I thought it was good. **

**Review guys! Don't kill me if I don't get a chance to update sometime next weekend. My updating schedule is messed up. I'll try, I promise. But don't get too hacked off. Later, guys!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys. Sorry I didn't update earlier. It's been a long week, and I had to baby-sit yesterday. Never give a nine year old coffee ice cream… it could very well be the last thing you do. The plus side is, I got paid fifty dollars, and it snowed! Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

Chapter Thirteen

Once at the pool, my coach gave me a quick, easy set. It barely took fifteen minutes to do. Once I was done, I climbed out, and sat down on the pool deck next to Bella. I stretched out while we talked, going over the races I would have to swim tomorrow and Saturday, and the times I would have to be to make it to the Trials. A couple of kids I knew came over and talked for a minute before they had to leave.

I'd qualified for a couple of events at Nationals, but I still had to drop a little more than three seconds on my two hundred fly. I had no idea how I was going to qualify for the 200 I.M. I was more than eleven seconds off from the qualifying time.

As we were leaving, a couple of other kids I knew stopped to talk for a minute. Once I finally shook them off, we headed back to the hotel.

I spent the day listening to my iPod and reading. Bella didn't bother me about Romeo and Juliet. I couldn't help but hope that she'd finally dropped it.

My coach made dinner that night. They both watched the news after dinner while I went to bed. I couldn't stand television. I always ended up feeling like I was missing something.

I fell asleep quickly, waking up when my watch beeped four times. I quickly rubbed my eyes and climbed out of bed.

I pulled on my suit, jammed one of my Lzr Racers into my bag, along with a couple towels. I checked to make sure my Chamois was in there, too. Any open meet took about four hours, if not longer and it was close to impossible to dry off with a soaked towel.

I dropped my stuff by the door before I got a bowl of cereal. I ate that while running over my strategies in my head. I had three events today, and three tomorrow.

I got another bowl of cereal when I finished my first one. Bella came in and grabbed herself something to eat, too. We sat next to each other until my coach finally woke up, and told us to go ahead down to the car.

We stopped at Starbucks on the way to the pool. I couldn't blame him. Even for the middle of March, it couldn't have been more than thirty eight degrees outside. In Maryland, it had been getting around to about fifty or sixty degrees a day.

We went downstairs to the pool deck. I dropped my backpack on the ground, and pulled out a towel. I spread it on the tiled floor, and Bella sat down next to me as I stretched out. We talked until warm ups started. Bella gave me the set, and I jumped in and started. I finished about ten minutes later, and climbed out. Bella and I went back to where we were sitting. She went to go talk to my coach. I pulled out my book and started reading.

"'Sup, Edward?" this one kid, Mike, asked. I've known Mike for years, and every time I see him, he's found away to get under my skin and aggravate me to death.

I shrugged. "Nothing."

"How was Nationals?"

I rolled my eyes. "It was fine."

When Mike finally got the point that I didn't want to talk to him, he rolled his wheelchair away.

Bella came back. "There's still about forty-five minutes left till the end of warm ups." She sat down next to me. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Honest."

"I don't believe you. Something's up. What?"

"I dunno… this is just so… weird."

"Weird how?"

"I dunno. Just… different."

"Oh." Bella sighed. "What are you listening to?"

"Claire de Lune."

"Debussy?" she asked, surprised.

"Hm? Yeah."

"I always thought swimmers listened to really upbeat stuff… you know, to get them all pumped and stuff?"

I shrugged. "I've got a couple of those songs. But I really just prefer listening to this. It has the same effect on my mind."

Bella and I sat and talked till the meet started. I changed into my Lazr Racer, and by the time I got back from the locker room, we'd started arguing about Shakespeare again. I changed into my Lazr Racer, and by the time I refused to even listen to her Romeo and Juliet argument. The play was pathetic. In return, she couldn't even begin to understand how much I enjoyed the Twelfth Night.

The hundred free was up first. I followed Bella over to the blocks right before my heat. I snapped my cap on over my hair, pulled my goggles on, and pulled my other cap on.

When the starter blew the whistle, I climbed up on the blocks. I had a three second drop for a two lap race.

I bent over when he told us to take our marks.

_Beep._

I shoved off as fast as I could, took six fast dolphin kicks, and started swimming. After nineteen strokes, I flipped over and shoved hard off the wall. I kicked five fast dolphin kicks, and took one long, fast pull after another. I took my first breath of the entire hundred. I kicked harder, and after seventeen strokes, my hand hit the wall.

I pulled both my caps off, and dunked my head under water. I had to wait for the other swimmers to finish the race, and for the next heat to start before I could climb out.

Once the starter had started the next heat, I climbed out.

"Fifty one point thirty," the timer told me. "Great swim, kid."

I nodded, and wound my way through all the swimmers.

Before I even got back to the place where I was sitting, my coach grabbed me up in a big bear hug. "Way to go." He told me once he put me down. "That was the best time I've ever seen you swim it. You broke your own record by three seconds."

I grinned. "Thanks, coach."

"How you feel?"

"I could've swum a mile like that, and not even have gotten winded." I told him truthfully. I felt great.

"Follow Bella over to the warm up lanes. Don't let her kill you. You still have a two hundred fly, and a four hundred I.M. to swim."

I nodded.

Bella and I went over to the warm up lanes on the far side of the pool. Bella was going all 'I told you so' on me. I'd qualified for the Trials by twenty-nine hundredths of a second.

I pulled one of my caps on, and did a hundred easy before climbing out.

There were four events before the two hundred fly, then one before the four hundred I.M. Bella and my coach spent the time strategizing while I completely focused on my iPod. That's the one thing I'd always hated about swim meets- three hours of sheer boredom, and having your coaches try to keep you focused, for a maximum of twenty minutes of excitement.

After more than an hour, the two hundred fly was finally up. I followed Bella to the blocks. Another three second drop, and I'd been in the Trials for another race.

I pulled my caps and goggles on, and climbed up on the block when my heat was up. Four laps of fly. I listened as the dude told us to take our marks.

I shoved off hard when he hit the button. I took six fast dolphin kicks, before breakinig out in effortless fly. I tried to hold back some of my energy. A two hundred fly was all about pacing yourself.

I hit the wall, and turned, taking off fast. Four dolphin kicks, and I started my stroke. I'd hardly breathed at all the first fifty, and I didn't feel the need to breathe at all this fifty, either.

I hit the other wall, and rocketed off. I took one deep breath, and kept going.

I hit the wall at the other end. I only had a fifty left.

I took three or four breaths this fifty, but I was still going fast, and I hadn't taken a single breath on any of the walls, and my Texas turns had been fast.

I hit the wall hard, and lifted my head, taking in slow, even breaths. I still wasn't tired. I knew it had something to do with practice lately, 'cause I sure as hell wasn't taking any steroids. There wasn't anyway I would do something that could ruin my life, and even kill me. I knew it had to be all of the five hundreds fly Bella and my coach would make me do.

"Two oh two flat." I nodded, and turned. I grinned in spite of my self. Second race of the day, and I'd qualified for that, too.

Right when I grabbed my towel to dry off, Bella hugged me.

"That was amazing, Edward!" she squealed. "You broke your record, and qualified!"

I smiled. "Bella, you're getting all wet."

"I don't care!"

"But I do. 'sides, I have to go warm down."

"Not too much," she told me. She went from being my sister's crazy friend that I happened to like, to being my coach's assistant in an instant. "You have a four hundred I.M. in about half an hour."

I nodded, "I swear I won't over do it."

I went over to the far side of the pool, and lid in. I did a hundred freestyle, making sure I stretched out long every stroke, before I climbed out. I grabbed my towel off the deck from where I dropped it, and dried my hair off.

Bella started to give me a lecture on my four hundred. I let her, not bothering to mention that I'd swum this almost every day of my life since I was seven.

When the event was up, I followed her to the blocks. I didn't have to worry about a qualifying time for this one. I knew the fifty fly wasn't an event in the Olympics.

I climbed up onto the blocks, caps and goggles in place, and bent down when he told us to take our marks. It was only a four hundred, and then I could leave.

I took off right when the starter when off. I broke into a quick and easy fly. I didn't dare to breathe the first fifty. I took two breaths the second fifty. I hit the wall hard and started backstroke, making each stroke as long and powerful as possible.

I flipped on to my stomach and flipped, barely hitting the way enough to get a good momentum. I kicked harder, trying to make up for it.

I hit the wall hard at the other end, and turned fast, breaking out in a fast Kitajima breaststroke. I counted my strokes in my head, and hit the wall right at twenty three strokes.

I shoved off, and did a quick underwater pullout before starting my breaststroke. I hard less than a one hundred left.

I hit the wall hard, and shoved off, kicking as fast as I could. I breathed more often than I normally would have during a four hundred. I flipped over and shoved off the wall after seventeen strokes. I ended up taking less strokes tan I normally would have.

I sped up a little, going as fast as I could through the water. I slammed hard into the wall, breathing hard. My energy form earlier had finally run out, and God, I was _tired_.

I climbed out as soon as the next heat dove in. The timer told me my time, and I grinned like a hyper little kid. I made my way back to where I was sitting.

I took the towel Bella handed me. "That was amazing, Edward!" she told me. "What was your time?"

"Four oh four flat." I told her. "Eighteen hundredths of a second and I would've tied Phelps' record.

"Awesome," Bella told me. "Your coach has your splits for all your races. Do you have any idea how great you looked out there? Your fly looked flawless, absolutely perfect. And your freestyle was incredible. Why don't you try to go that fast in practice during all the sprint sets? You'd be setting records in practice!"

I couldn't help but laugh a little. "Bella, how many times are you going to tell me all this?"

"I dunno… maybe a couple dozen until next weekend? By the way, what are you swimming in Minnesota, anyway?"

"Coach got me to enter a couple backstroke events." I rolled my eyes. "And even a breaststroke one. Any stroke I didn't qualify for this weekend, he was going to deck enter me into next."

"He got you to swim backstroke?" Bella laughed. "What did he do, bribe you with a couple dozen classical music CDs?"

I laughed. "Nope. I actually… agreed to it without being bribed. I actually saw his point when he told me I could at least break a record with my backstroke… and I had to admit, it'd be nice to knock a couple seconds off those crappy times."

I tossed my towel in my backpack. I didn't really need a warm down, but I went over to the far side of the pool to do a two hundred anyway. I knew it was the best thing to do.

I changed into a clean pair of warm up pants and a jacket in the locker room, before I headed upstairs to meet Bella and my coach.

"Great job, Edward," my coach told me appreciatively. "Your splits were incredible. It was obvious you've really been working these past few weeks. How'd your stroke feel?"

"Great, Coach. I was hardly tired at all by the end of my two hundred. The four hundred killed me though," I stifled a yawn. "Too much free and fly in one day."

My coach laughed a little at that. "You still have a fifty fly tomorrow, and a two hundred I.M. and a hundred fly. Are you telling me you're _finally_ sick of butterfly?"

I laughed. "Nope. Just ready to eat something and take a good long nap."

"Darn," I knew my coach was pretending to pout. "I was hoping you'd finally realize the talent you have for backstroke."

I rolled my eyes. "In your dreams."

Bella and I both slid into the backseat, and my coach and her nearly bored my to sleep talking about the meet. I loved swimming at them, but it got annoying when people just keep talking about it.

We got back to the hotel, and I went right to bed and fell asleep.

By the time I woke up, I was starving. I couldn't help but wonder when dinner was going to be ready.

I went out to the living room, and sat down at the breakfast bar. I could smell last night's spaghetti heating up in the microwave.

When the thing went off, someone pulled three bowls down form the cabinet, and sat a bowl in fornt of me. I smile din thanks, and quickly devoured it.

"God, kid. Slow down. Don't go making yourself sick," my coach joked. "Thanks, Bella."

"No problem."

"I wouldn't do that!" I protested.

"You know, kid, sometimes, I can't help but think you've got one hell of a tapeworm. You eat about five meals a day, and you're what? Barely a hundred and eighty pounds?"

"I do not eat five meals a day! I eat three… with maybe six or seven snacks in between."

"That's my point! You have to eat at least ten thousand calories a day."

"And your practices have to burn at least eight thousand. I'm telling you, I don't east that much."

"Mmhmm. If you say so."

I finished my spaghetti, and asked Bella for seconds. My coach and I started arguing again. As soon as I finished, I put my bowl in the sink and went to bed.

I was asleep before eight o' clock, and awake before five. I grabbed my suit, changed, and devoured a three bowls of cereal before we had to leave.

We were at the pool ten minutes before warm ups started. I tossed a dry towel on the ground, and started stretching. Bella and my coach were off strategizing, and my coach came back to give me a quick set for warm up.

I jumped in the lane Bella told me to, and took off. A three hundred easy wasn't anything compared to my usual warm up. I took it slow though. I tried to take about a minute a fifty, and was done after about six minutes. I climbed out, and another kid took the lane.

I walked around the pool, and sat down on the towel. The fifty fly was first. I planned on beating my time and hopefully the record, but I didn't have to worry about a qualifying time, so I didn't have to kill myself. I looked at it as a warm up for my two hundred.

I hung out for the next hour, talking to Bella and a couple of other kids I knew. Thankfully, Mike left me alone, so I figured he got the message. I changed in my Rzr about ten minutes before the meet started.

When the fifty fly was up, I followed Bella to the side opposite of the one we usually start on. I pulled my caps and goggles on, and climbed up on the block when the starter blew the whistle.

I took off right when he hit the button. I took three fast dolphin kicks underwater, before breaking into smooth, effortless fly. After four strokes I took one quick, fleeting breath before I shoved my head back into the water.

I hit the wall on the other end, and pulled my head out of the water. I pulled my cap off, and my goggles, while I waited for the rest of the heat to finish.

I climbed out as soon as I heard the starter go off at the other end of the pool. The timer told me my time, and I couldn't help but grin. I'd dropped three seconds off my fifty, and broke the existing record from '08 by a little over a second.

I went over to where I was sitting.

"Edward!" Bella exclaimed as soon as she came over. "That was incredible! What was your time?"

"A twenty seven point three." I grinned. "I broke the Paralympics record by more than a second."

Bella squealed. I laughed. "Bella, I swear, you spend too much time with Alice."

"Well, sor-ry." She drew out the word.

I laughed. "It's okay. But if you start trying to drag me off to shopping hell, I might just have to kill you."

She smacked my arm. "Go warm down!"

I laughed, and went to the far side of the pool to warm down. I did a quick hundred, and climbed out. I dried off with my Chamois, and rubbed my hair with a towel. I still ahd a hundred fly in an hour and a two hundred I.M. after that. I didn't need to worry about my hundred fly as much as I did my two hundred I.M. How the hell was I going to drop more than eleven seconds?

I pulled out my iPod, and focused on my music. Before long, I was completely focused, and ready for my hundred fly.

Bella came to take me to the blocks right before my heat. I pulled my caps and goggles on.

When my heat started, the starter blew the whistle, and I climbed up. I took off when he said hit the button.

I broke into quick, smooth, relentless fly. I kept the pace up for almost the whole fifty, hit the wall hard on the other side, did a perfect Texas turn, and shoved off hard and fast. I picked up on the fly again, and quickened my pace a little. By the point where I only had a bout five strokes left, I was going as fast as I dared without burning all the energy I needed for my two hundred.

I slammed hard into the wall, and leaned against it for a minute, steadying my breath. I was fine after a minute, though, and I felt good. I climbed out once the next heat started.

"Fifty one oh two," the timer told me. I nodded. I'd taken nearly three seconds. It would've been three seconds exactly… stupid two hundredth of a second.

I went back to where my towel was. Bella handed me a dry one, and I quickly rubbed my hair with it, before swiping it over my arms and the back of my neck.

"How was that?" I asked.

"Incredibly amazing, of course." Bella told me. "I'm serious. A fifty one! That's a little more than half a second away from the record!"

I smiled and nodded. "Now I just have my two hundred," my spirits fell a little bit. There was no way I could qualify for that.

"What wrong?" Bella asked.

"Nothing… just… my two hundred."

"Oh… Edward, you know you've been beating your two hundred times almost every practice. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to qualify."

"Eleven seconds, though?"

"I bet you can do it. Just swim it… swim it like Alice is after you, and plans on using you as a mannequin."

I laughed a little. "Thanks. I'll try."

"Don't be nervous. Just try to do swim it the best you can."

I nodded.

The two hundred was right after the girls hundred fly. As soon as all the heats were over, I was behind the blocks, pulling my caps and goggles on, and mentally going over the race in my head.

I climbed up when the whistle blew, and bent over when the starter told us too. As soon as he hit the button, I was off. I sliced through the water in perfect streamline, kicking hard and fast before I started butterfly. I took long, fast, powerful strokes that cut through the water. I hit the wall on the other side, and turned as fast as possible.

I didn't care how tired I would be by the end of this race. I swam backstroke as fast as I possible could, my thighs screaming halfway through the fifty. I kept it up at the same pace, though. When I hit the wall and started breaststroke, I didn't dare take a breath, keeping the turn sharp and fast.

Kitajima's style of breaststroke was the fastest in the world, and as I did that fifty, I could actually see why. The glide's were longer, and the kicks were sharper and faster, and it helped propel you more through the water.

I turned on the wall, and took off, kicking as fast as possible, not turning my head to breath but twice.

Three strokes from the wall… two… one….

I hit the wall hard, and my head popped up. I leaned against it, and took long slow intakes of air to catch my breath.

I leaned against the wall for about a minute and a half before the next heat was started. I pulled my caps and goggles off, and climbed out.

"two oh six, thirty five." The timer told me. "That was great, kid. Probably the best race I've seen this entire weekend."

I smiled and nodded. I couldn't stop the euphoria I was feeling. I had actually beaten my time. I'd actually qualified for the Olympic Trials in every event I'd swam this weekend.

**Okay, so that was this week's chapter. I'm sorry, I know I didn't post this yesterday, but I was babysitting… and Harry Potter was on… and I didn't feel like doing anything. Plus I'd had a two hour long practice and arguing with my coach about how I sprained my wrist was hilarious… but he felt the need to try and kill me for it.**

**Okay, a couple things to clear up. Kitajima is the fastest breaststroker in the world and his style is currently three seconds faster than Brendon Hanson's. The times I used for the Olympic Trials were actually 2008's qualifying times. They won't release 2012's till spring of '09, and I wasn't going to wait until then to post. **

**Okay, so review guys, and I'll see you in a week!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Merry Christmas! Sorry, just had to get that out…. I'm sorry I didn't update this weekend… or last weekend, for that matter. I swear I would've but… I was busy and then I got the idea to update as many chapters as possible on Christmas Eve like a Christmas present, or a Hanukkah present or Kwanzaa. Anyway, I know I haven't updated in a while, and here you go!**

Chapter Fourteen

Bella hugged me tight as soon as I found her in the mob of people around the pool. I hugged her back tightly, savoring the feeling of her warm skin against mine. I kissed her hair softly, and slowly eased her off of me.

"You're soaked," I told her. I could tell she hadn't wanted to let go, either, but I didn't want her to get completely drenched.

"So? It's just an old T-shirt. I have more."

"Not here with you."

"So?" she challenged.

"It's cold outside."

"So?!"

Your soaked, and _I know_ you didn't grab a jacket this morning.."

"I'll take your sweatshirt."

"And you'll let me freeze to death?"

"Yup!"

I laughed lightly, and took her hand. "Where's Coach?"

"Um… by the edge of the pool, talking to a couple of other coaches. That was a great swim, by the way. Twelve seconds!" the excitement in her voice was [practically tangible.

I laughed. "It still hasn't sunken in yet. I just can't believe I dropped twelve seconds in one race."

"Incredible," she agreed. "It really was."

Just then, my coach was shaking my shoulders, yelling and babbling ecstatically.

"That was _incredible_! Best race I've ever seen. You were ahead by nearly twenty-five meters!"

I held up my free hand. "Breathe, Coach. We don't need you suffocating. I have another meet in a week, and you've gotta be there."

Coach laughed. "I'm serious! Your splits were incredible. You took more than three seconds off each one of your fifties."

I nodded. "Good. What about my stroke? Did my fly look okay?"

"It looked perfect. Fast, powerful… practically effortless." Coach told me seriously. "How'd it feel, though? You don't look too tired."

I shrugged. "It felt good, I guess. Backstroke was pretty brutal, though. I was tired when I finished, but I'm good now."

"Your backstroke looked great. I don't know what you mean by brutal. You looked like you swam backstroke like that everyday of your life. Why can't you do that in practice more often? I wouldn't have to get Bella to yell at you so much."

I grinned. Bella never yelled at me. "'Cause, then I wouldn't get to hear your reaction when I pull something like that off in a race." I was messing with him, and he knew it.

"Go warm-down, before I have to throw you in the pool. We'll meet you upstairs in twenty minutes." I knew he was kidding about throwing me in the pool. But I knew I did have to warm down.

I nodded, and had Bella lead me to the opposite side of the pool, before jumping in and starting a ten minute warm down.

When I woke up the next morning, I was beat. I felt like I hadn't even gotten an hour of sleep, let alone nine or ten. I groaned when I rolled off the bed, every muscle in my body screaming. I knew I'd pushed myself too hard yesterday, but it was worth it.

I splashed water on my face in the bathroom, waking up a little. We didn't have to be at the airport till three, so I had plenty of time to just hang out.

I went out to the living room, and grabbed a bowl out of a cupboard, and dumped cereal in it. I grabbed a bottle out of the refrigerator, and dropped into a chair, completely ignoring the noise coming form the television.

I screwed the cap off the bottle, and drank three huge gulps. The sweet flavors of undiluted Gatorade filled my mouth. That was probably the worst thing about swimming- drinking watered down Gatorade so you didn't get sick.

I shoveled down a couple of spoonfuls of cereal, and took another swig of Gatorade, choking a little on it.

"God, desperate enough?" Bella asked, laughing, as she muted the television. "It won't walk away while you chew!"

I rolled my eyes and shrugged. "I'm starved."

"Obviously!" Bella was cracking up now. "Seriously though, chill out! It's cereal, it's not going anywhere."

I shrugged again. "You try dropping twelve seconds off one event, you feel like you've been starved for a month afterward."

"I assume so. That was an incredible race yesterday. I'm not kidding, watching that race left me breathless. Nobody could've swum it better."

I gave a small smile. "Bella, Coach isn't up yet. You don't have to put on some act."

"I'm not acting! Trust me, I can't act to save my life, you'd know when I was acting. I'm dead serious. _Nobody_ could've swum that race better, and it was _incredible_ to watch. You're honestly an amazing swimmer. I don't know why you don't believe me!"

"I believe you! Honestly, I do." I assured her. I knew it was true, if only in part. Yes I believed her, but sometimes I just couldn't bring myself to. Too many years of being ignored by coaches and teammates had taught me that they really weren't a lot of people who cared about swimming.

I finished eating. I asked Bella about the other races at the meet, and what the game plan was for this week. She said they weren't going to kill me (thank God) but it wasn't going to be easy. Of course not.

I must've fallen asleep sitting there, because the next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake and told to go grab my bags so we could leave. I groaned when I stood up, and complied, grabbing my backpack and gym bag from were I'd left them by the door in my room.

I followed Bella downstairs and out to the car. Coach took my two bags and I crawled in the backseat.

I wasn't far to the airport, and before long, we were taking our seats on the plane. Bella was sitting next to me, and Coach was either sitting in front of or behind us, cause he and Bella kept talking.

Before the plane even took off, I was dozing off, only to be awoken a few minutes later by Bella.

"Thank God! I didn't need to sit here talking to him all day! Why are you so tired, anyway?" Bella asked in a quiet whisper, concern in her voice.

I shrugged and closed my eyes again. "'Cause I am?"

Bella leaned her head against my shoulder. "I am too."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "How come?"

"Long weekend."

"You said it."

We both asleep like that, and all too soon, Coach was waking us up and saying something my tired brain didn't want to comprehend.

Once we got off the plane, Coach and Bella grabbed our bags and Coach got another rental car, before driving us to a nearby hotel. The first thing I did was go straight to bed as soon as I dropped my bags on the floor.

Practice that week wasn't hard, but it was tiring all the same. I wasn't allowed to swim free or fly only breaststroke and backstroke, because of the events I was swimming in the meet. Each night I went to bed tired, but less tired than I had been the night before. The practices were getting easier each morning, and by Friday morning, I felt great, and my backstroke and breaststroke felt a whole lot better, and faster.

By the end of practice Friday morning, I was ready for the meet the following day.

I woke up early the next morning, around four. I couldn't get back to sleep, so instead I laid there till my watch beeped five times. I practically jumped out of bed, my blood boiling with energy.

I pulled my suits off the racks in the bathroom, along with my towels. I stuffed them into my backpack along with my clothes before changing into my Speedo and sweats.

I dropped my bag at the end of the breakfast counter, and found a box of cereal and a bowl. I grabbed a bottle out of the fridge, and sat down at the counter, devouring the cereal. Every once in a while I'd take a swig of water.

I heard one of the stools creak a little as someone sat down next to me and started eating their breakfast.

I finished the bottle of water and swallowed the last spoonful of cereal before I got up, and put the bowl in the sink, before I grabbed another bottle out of the fridge.

I sat back down on the stool, and screwed the cap off the bottle and took a couple of gulps before putting the cap back on.

Coach walked in a few minutes later, his uneven footfalls heavy on the hardwood floor. It was obvious he still wasn't awake.

"Gah, it's too early," he mumbled.

"You wake up earlier than this on a regular basis!" I told him.

"Yeah, but by then I've had three or four cups of coffee."

"So you stop by Starbucks, and get coffee for all of us," Bella yawned.

"Starbucks is expensive!"

"You rather fall asleep on the job?" I challenged. "Drink some Gatorade. That stuff wakes you right up."

"Only you would know that. C'mon, we're gonna be late as it is," I slid off my chair, and I heard Bella's feet hit the wood as she did the same. I grabbed my backpack off the floor, and followed Coach to the car.

The pool wasn't too far away, but it was open warm ups for an hour. When we got there, apparently every lane was filled. Coach left me and Bella to find a spot on the deck while he went to go find a coach who would be done with their lane soon.

I sat next to Bella, and we talked for a while, mostly about the meet. Well… she talked. I mostly gave one or two word answers. My thoughts were elsewhere, not focusing on the conversation.

I couldn't help but wish my parents were here. And my siblings. Alice would've been hanging out on deck with Bella, and Emmett would've been too busy watching the girls. You'd think that even though he has a girlfriend, he keep his eyes off, but of course not. Not Emmett.

Even though I couldn't stand them, I missed them.

Not only them… I missed my _real_ parents. I couldn't help but think how different my life would be if they were still alive. I never would've gone blind, I probably never would've started swimming, I never would've met Carlisle, and Esme, or Alice and Emmett and Jasper and Rose… or Bella.

Okay, so I was _definitely_ happy with my life the way it was right now… but god, did I miss them.

"Hello? Earth to Edward? Are you in there?" Bella laughed, poking my shoulder.

I shook my head quickly. "Huh? What?"

"There's a lane open. You can go warm up."

I pulled my sweats off, and grabbed my cap and goggles before following Bella over to the lane.

"Nothing too hard," Coach told me as I pulled my cap on. "Just take it easy. Do a four hundred and climb out when you're finished. We'll do a couple of starts."

I nodded and jumped in. it felt good to be swimming freestyle again.

A four hundred wasn't hard, but I took the thing slow. It must've taken at least seven minutes to do the whole thing.

I climbed out and leaned against the block, waiting for the go-ahead on the blocks from Coach.

After a couple of starts, Coach and I made our way back to where Bella was sitting with our stuff. I sat down next to her, and stretched out.

"You good now?" she asked.

"Yeah. I just... had a lot on my mind."

"Wanna talk about it?" I knew she was worried.

"Not really."

"Really?" she asked, taking my hand. "You sound like you need someone to talk to."

I shrugged. "I was just thinking about my parents, that's all." I mumbled. "I guess I just miss them."

"Oh," she whispered. "Oh, Edward, I'm-."

I cut her off. "It's fine. Really. Just… sometimes it's harder… to forget them."

"You shouldn't have to forget them." She whispered.

"It's easier… sometimes." I mumbled.

"You shouldn't have to ever forget them. They were your parents. Just because… just because they've gone for fourteen years doesn't mean its okay to forget them."

"I-I know. It's weird though. When I think about them… I can hardly remember them. I just remember I miss them. I wish they were back sometimes… then I stop, and I feel even more thankful for the life I do have. Sometimes… I just wonder… what my life would've been like if they were still alive." I sighed tiredly.

We were both quiet for a while. It was right after the first event started that either of us talked again.

"Edward… you know… I'm always here for you, right? I mean… if you ever want someone to talk to… I'll always be right here."

I smiled, and pulled Bella in a hug. "Thank you," is whispered into her ear. "So, so much. And Bella… if you ever need anything... I'm here for you."

"I like you, Edward." Bella mumbled. "A lot."

I kissed her cheek softly. "I like you, too, Bella." _More than you could ever imagine_, I added silently.

"Oh," Bella dropped my hand. "You're two hundred backstroke's up!"

I groaned. "The one event I'm not in the last heat for."

"One of the four, you mean. No offense, but your two hundred times suck."

I rolled my eyes. She was teasing me. "Yeah, well, I never said I enjoyed any of the races I was forced to sign up for this weekend."

"I didn't force you!" she hissed as I pulled my cap on. "I just… told your coach to enter you without you're knowledge… but you did agree to swim it!"

"What's your point?" I muttered childishly. "I still hate backstroke, and there's nothing you can do to change it."

"No, but I can train you hard so you drop time."

I paused. "So?"

"Oh, go get your butt in the water." She gave me a shove that I barely felt. "You're gonna miss your race!"

"Was that as hard as you can do it?" I asked.

"Go!"

"Fine," I laughed, and she dragged me over to the blocks.

I jumped in when they blew the whistle for heat four of the two hundred backstroke. I pulled into my start when the starter said so. Right when he hit the button, I was gone.

The race went well enough. I swam the first fifty fast, building off the speed from my start.

I flipped fast at the end of my stroke count, and shoved hard off the wall, taking four fast dolphin kicks before starting my stroke.

I flipped hard at the other wall, coming up faster than I had intended. I started my stroke, but I was off, and at the other wall, I flipped too late. I hit the wall at a weird angle, and shoved off. I felt my hand brush the lane line before I managed to move away from it.

I swam backstroke as fast as I could for that last fifty, slamming hard into the wall at the other end.

I leaned heavily on the wall till they told us all to clear the pool. I climbed out, and pulled my cap and goggles off.

"Two thirty seven, forty nine." The timer told me.

I nodded and made my way back to the edge of the pool.

"Edward!" Bella yelled. "That was great! You dropped almost twenty seconds."

"Damn," I muttered, a smile playing on my lips.

"What?" Bella asked innocently.

"You're going to make me swim it more in practice, aren't you?"

"Wasn't planning on it, but thanks for the idea!"

I groaned.

"I'm kidding! Honestly, I'm not going to make you swim backstroke now. When we get back to school, you have practice twice a day for an hour and a half. Hard-core conditioning."

"What about homework?"

"Get Jasper to do it." She told me, dead serious.

"Bella!"

"What?" she laughed. "Oh. You only have like, one class a day, right? So you do it then, instead of at six o' clock at night, when you're at practice."

"What if I want to catch up on sleep after class?"

"You can sleep in about two and a half months, when you get two weeks off right before Trials."

"Okay, whatever." I told her. "When's the hundred breaststroke?"

"Up next, but you gotta let the girls swim the two hundred back, too."

"Did Coach get my splits?"

"Yup. I did too… well… tried, anyway. This stupid stopwatch is a piece of crap. I don't know how accurate the splits are… I think it added like, and extra second to every fifty when it wouldn't stop on time."

"Maybe you just have slow reactions."

"Maybe," Bella laughed.

I waited with Bella until it was time for the hundred breaststroke. I was so ready for this meet to be over. I just wanted to go back to Baltimore.

I pulled my cap on and followed Bella to the blocks. I pulled my goggles on and climbed up on the block when they called my heat.

I took my mark, and shoved off hard when the starter hit the button. Two laps… two laps and I could go back to the hotel.

I did a long, fast underwater pullout, and came up swimming breaststroke as fast as possible. I made sure my glides were long and my stroke and kick hard and fast.

I hit the wall on the other end, doing a perfect Texas turn. I did an underwater pullout, and came up swimming strong.

I swam hard and fast to the other end, and hit the wall hard. I leaned against the wall, waiting for the next heat to start, trying hard to keep my breathing even. I'd never been much of a breaststroker, but still, that race hadn't taken much out of me. Then again… my time would probably reflect that.

I climbed out when the next heat started, pulling my cap and goggles off. The timer quickly told me my time, and I walked around the pool deck till Bella ran up to get me.

I tiredly listened to her as I shoved my stuff in my bag and pulled out a dry towel and my sweats. I rubbed my hair dry and pulle don the sweats.

As we left the pool, I couldn't help but think about how much I wished I were back in Baltimore. I mean, sure, I love swimming. Swimming is my life. These past two meets though… they were different and they'd taken a lot out of me.

I fell asleep in the car back to the hotel.

**Okay, so this took way longer than I had planned. I started this Sunday, and it took me three days to type. I have a good excuse though…. Okay, technically not, anyway, this is the first of two chapters I plan on posting today. Though this is the longest, the next one definitely has more action, and isn't so freaking long.**

**Review guys!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay guys, this is the second chapter of the two I promised you. My friend came up with the idea for most of this… well maybe not the meet, but later on in the chapter, it was all her idea. So this chapter is basically hers to claim. **

Chapter Fifteen

The second day of the meet was almost identical to the first one.

Coach woke up late, again, so we were late to the pool. It was almost impossible to find a lane that wasn't being used, or didn't already have a claim on it. (Screw open warm ups).

Once Coach did find a lane though, warm ups went over well. Basically just a five hundred easy and two starts.

Bella and I hung out before the meet started. I was so not in the mood to swim another hundred backstroke, and a two hundred breaststroke. Yeah sure, given the choice between a hundred backstroke and a five hundred fly, I'll take the five hundred. Same thing for the two hundred breaststroke.

I pulled my cap on before my race, and Bella led me to my lane, giving me a couple last minute pointers. I snapped my goggles on, and jumped in the water when the dude blew the whistle.

I tucked up into a backstroke start and when the machine beeped, I was off.

I gave six fast, hard dolphin kicks underwater before coming up and starting a hard, fast stroke.

I flipped over and took my last stroke, and did a perfect flip turn, hitting the wall squarely before shoving off. I couldn't have been on the wall for more than half a second,

I kicked hard on the last fifty. I ended up cutting three strokes off my stroke count, I was kicking so hard. I hit wall weird, but at least the race was over.

I climbed out as soon as the starter told us to clear the pool.

"One ten fourteen." The starter told me.

I nodded.

Bella grabbed my arm. I guess she had been lounging against the wall behind the lane.

"Nice! Another twenty second drop!"

I smiled a little. "I haven't swum a hundred back since I was thirteen."

"Nuh huh! Really?" she asked.

"Yup. Last time I swam it was at a travel meet when I was thirteen."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. I'm dead serious."

"No wonder you dropped so much time… you had a one thrty when you were thirteen? That's kinda of sad."

"Shut up." I told her good-naturedly. "I had a one oh four in fly, does that make up for it?"

"I guess… a one oh four? Seriously?"

"Uh, yeah? What?"

"Dang. When I was thirteen, my hundred fly time was like… a one fifty."

I laughed. "You guys swam hundred fly on your summer team?"

"Well… technically… we pissed off the coach, and he made us swim hundreds for time. If we didn't beat our fifty time, doubled, we weren't allowed to leave. I swam a hundred fly so many times I was dead by the end of practice."

"Only fly?"

"No… we had to swim everything. Fly was last though. My backstroke time crushed yours, though."

"Shut up!" I laughed. "My fly time makes yours look like you're swimming backwards."

"so did my backstroke time."

"Guess we'll have to have a race sometime." Bella suggested.

"Yeah sure, after the Olympics, when I have unlimited time on my hands."

"I'll remember that," Bella laughed.

We stood behind the lanes for the entirety of the girls hundred back. I just happened to be in the first heat of the two hundred breaststroke.

I pulled my cap on when the announced the last heat of the backstroke, and stepped up behind the block as the girl jumped in the water.

I pulled my goggles on after the race started. Last race and I could go home. I had practice tomorrow morning at three and again at five at night. I couldn't help but think they were just slightly crazy. Four hours of practice a day, and two hours of dry lands after each practice.

I pressed my goggles into my eyes one last time as the starter announced the event before blowing the whistle.

I climbed up onto the block, bending over when he told us to take our marks….

_Beep_.

I shoved off as hard as I could, slicing through the water. I did a quick, fast underwater pullout before starting my normal stroke.

I did a fast turn on the other wall, a perfect Texas turn, not daring to breathe. I shoved off and did a fast underwater pullout.

I took one stroke less than usual, and hit the other wall weird. I recovered as fast as I could, and shoved off the wall hard, trying to make up the lost time.

I stroke hard and fats, my muscles in my legs screaming. Another reason why I hate breaststroke- it's painful.

I hit the wall at the other end, and did a Texas turn before I could even think about breathing. I did a short fast pullout, my lungs desperate for air.

I breathed in deeply on my first breath before sticking my head right back into the water. My lungs didn't hurt anymore.

I kicked out hard and fast each stroke, regaining my lost speed.

I hit the wall, and leaned on it, catching my breath. I reached up and pulled my goggles off, as well as my cap, before dunking me head underwater.

I climbed out as soon as the next heat dove in. Bella was standing right next to the block, and I would've run her over if she hadn't put a hand up to stop me.

"Don't kill me!" she laughed.

"Sorry!"

"It's cool. What happened with those turns? Honestly, the turn on this wall looked awful, and you must've taken a whole second on the far wall."

"I dunno…. I screwed up my stroke count. That's all."

"Oh…kay." She drew out the word. "How'd you manage to do that?"

"By gliding longer than normal?"

"Exactly. You're glide was perfect for a two hundred… but you're stroke count wasn't. at practice tomorrow we'll work on your counts."

I nodded. "Can we just go home now?"

I groaned when I rolled out of bed the next morning. I was so tired. Tired of… well… everything. I think the only thing I had to look forward to was practice. I was definitely ready for summer, and the Trials. I was ready to show everyone up; ready to prove myself. Ready to break a couple more records before school starts again. Ready to prove to my parents that swimming was the best thing that ever happened to me. Ready to show Aro just how much of a moronic jerk he was.

I changed into my suit and a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Sure, I didn't want to work on breaststroke and backstroke, but I still loved being in the water, and most of all, I just wanted to be around the pool

I grabbed a dry towel off the chair, and shoved it into my backpack before heading downstairs and across the grounds to the pool.

I dropped my bag on the pool deck and sat down to stretch out. I assumed I was the first one here. It was so quiet.

I heard a door open on the opposite side of the room, and soft footfalls on the tiled floor.

"Hey, Edward." Bella told me, dropping a backpack to the ground. "You're early."

"Just, what, fifteen minutes?" I asked. "That's nothing."

"You're here earlier than any other swimmer at this practice."

"True."

"You actually care about swimming. The others… it's something they do just to do it. Being good at it isn't something important to them. To you… it's different."

"Swimming's my life," I told her honestly.

"I know. Remember that. there's going to be a lot of people who try to tell you else wise."

"You got that right." I mumbled.

"Technically… Alice does. She told me to remind you. She said you seemed down at dinner last night."

I shrugged, "I swear, that girl's psychic."

"Maybe she just knows her brother too well?"

"Maybe."

Coach came soon, as well as three or four other swimmers, by the sound of their voices and footsteps.

I stretched out till Coach told us we had two minutes till practice started. I snapped my cap on, and my goggles, and stood with Bella behind my lane.

"Warm up's a five hundred free, and a four hundred I.M. sound good?"

I nodded. "Easy."

"You won't be saying that tonight."

"Oh yeah?" I asked before jumping in the water. "Watch me."

Warm up was easy. The sets after… not so much.

I ended up doing three sets of ten one hundred backstroke, then the same thing for free, and breast, and fly. Each set was supposed to be swam a t a different pace- hundred, two hundred, and five hundred. In between each hundred, Bella would make adjustments to my stroke count. By the last hundred fly, I though my arms were going to fall off, I was so tired.

"You win," I told her after I took a drink of water. "there's no way I'm saying practice tonight's gonna be easy. And there's still dry lands."

"I told you so," Bella told me smugly.

"Shut up. What's the next set?"

"Do a four hundred easy first."

I nodded and shoved off the wall.

The rest of practice was like. Hard sets with tons of stroke count work. By the end, I was surprised I could even stand.

"She didn't work you too hard, did she?" Coach asked, clapping my shoulder.

"Oh, hell yeah she did." I grinned though. "It's cool. I can take it."

"I'm sure you can. Meet me here, five o' clock tonight. Bella's got your dry land's sets."

I nodded and pulled my shorts on.

"How many push up can you do?"

"I dunno… like fifty?"

"d as many as you can. How many sits ups can you do?"

"Like… three hundred?"

"That's pathetic. Fifty push ups and three hundred sit ups? Do five sets of twenty push ups."

The rest of dry lands were like that too. By the end, I was starving. I couldn't wait to go grab some breakfast.

I pulled my shirt on and stuffed my towel into my backpack.

"Wanna garb some breakfast?" I asked.

"Sure. But… you should change first. Your shorts are soaked."

I shrugged. "C'mon. It isn't that far from to my dorm, anyway."

Bella and I walked side by side back to my dorm. We were talking when Bella suddenly whacked into somebody.

"Oh, my God. I swear, I am so sorry1 are you okay?" she rushed.

"I'm good." The deep voice replied. "Dimitri Fyne. Nice to meet you."

"Bella Swan," Bella murmured.

"And I know who you are," I knew he could only be talking to me. "You're Edward Cullen."

I nodded. He shook my hand. Dimitri Fyne… where had I heard that name before?

"My father told me all about what happened back at Nationals, and in January," he continued. "Too bad I won't be seeing you at Trials. You _were_, after all, my only _real _competition."

I bit my tongue so hard blood welled up in my mouth. Oh God... not _him. _Of all the freaking people who had to show up at my school, it had to be _him_.

More importantly, what the hell was he doing here? Carlisle had made it clear that he wasn't to be around me any more. after all the damn torment he put me through as a kid, he had to continue it while i was in college?

"But, I guess all's well that end's well. I mean, we were eventually going to figure out who the better swimmer was. I knew you didn't have it in you to actually go against my father. You really aren't as dedicated to swimming as you always thought you were, are you now? I mean, if your father had suggested I stop swimming, I would've done everything in my power to make sure i stayed on the team. But, you, you just stayed out of the water like a good little boy. obedience gets you no where in life, Eddie."

"Edward's the most dedicated swimmer on the team! He could kick your ass any day!"

"Bella," I muttered, his words shocking my brain into silence.

"So you finally got a different girl to fight your battles now, Cullen? Figures. You always were just a blind kid hiding behind some girl or another."

"I never-" but I knew it was pointless. He was right. Alice had always stood up for me when we were kids. She knew I was too scared to fight my own battles. Afraid of being beaten up by some kid I couldn't see. Afraid of… everything.

"That's right, Edward. You always were hiding behind that tiny little black haired girl, weren't you? You always let her fight your battles, instead of standing up for your self. You're just a _pathetic, hopeless, useless, waste_."

I bowed my head. He was right. I was pathetic. And I was hopeless. And I was useless. I bit my lip, and turned around, walking away.

"Edward!" Bella yelled. I ignored her. Even though I wanted to turn around and talk to her like nothing was wrong, I ignored. Against every feeling in my heart, I ignored her. "Edward! Watch ou-."

Too late. I was already falling, head over heels, down the steps. My backpack slipped off my shoulder as I fell, and after what seemed like forever, the tumbling finally stopped.

My head was throbbing. So was my knee. My ears were ringing.

I tried to sit up, but that proved nearly impossible. Instead I just layed there for a few moments until-.

"Edward!" Bella said urgently. "Edward! Say _something_! Are you okay! Edward!"

"Bella, I-I'm fine. Really."

"I-I tried t-to warn you." I reached out to brush my fingertips along her face. It was wet. She was crying.

"Shh, Bella. Shh. It's okay. I'm fine. Honestly. I just… hit my head. That's all."

"Your knee's starting to swell, though." Bella whispered. "C'mon. Sit up."

She helped me sit up.

"Does this hurt?" she asked, brushing her fingers over my knee. She barely touched the skin, but all the same, I yelped.

"Oh, God! Yes!"

"Sorry!" she apologized. "I'm sorry!"

I closed my eyes. "It's fine. Just… just don't do that again."

"Can you walk?"

"I-I dunno."

"Can you try?"

"Yeah." With her help, I was able to stand up. I just had trouble putting weight on my leg.

"I'll help you back upstairs."

"It's fine," I told her. "I got it."

"I _want _to." She told me defiantly. "You're going to fall down if you try going up those stairs with out help," she told me in a softer tone. "Let me help."

I relented, and with me leaning as heavily as I dared on Bella's shoulder, we went back upstairs and down to my dorm.

Bella knocked on my door.

"Dude, do you-," Jasper asked, yawning as he opened the door. "Dude! What the hell happened?"

"Fell down the stairs," I muttered.

Jasper cracked up. "I'm sorry that's just… how'd you fall down the stairs?"

I grinned a little too as Bella helped me to my bed. "Lost my temper… sorta."

"Do you have a knee brace? Or some sports tape?"

I have a couple rolls of sports tape in my backpack, which fell off… on the stairs."

"I'll go grab it."

Jasper sat down on the bed next to me. "So, you and Bella?"

"You and Alice?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Point taken. I'm going to go grab some breakfast, and dude, you're soaked. If Alice comes by, tell her where I'm at."

"'Kay."

"Found it!" Bella told me cheerfully as she came back in the room. "Which pocket is it in?"

"The side one, I think."

"Got it, now stay still," she told me as she carefully started to wrap my knee up. I couldn't help but groan when the tape toughed the swollen parts.

She was fast though, and soon, my leg was completely taped up.

"Thanks," I smiled. "For… for everything."

"No problem." I knew she was smiling.

"I don't just mean… this. I mean… I mean like, everything. Everything you've done the past couple of months… I don't think there's anything I could say or do to tell you how thankful I am."

"No sweat. Like I said, Edward, I like you, a lot. And I don't mind doing anything to help you."

"I like you too, Bella." I told her. "More than you could ever imagine."

Bella laughed, but not meanly. Just a soft laugh at how I worded it. "That's deep, dude."

"I'm serious," I grabbed her hand and kissed her. "You wanna know why this summer is going to be the best summer ever?"

"Um, your most likely going to the Olympics?" Bella guessed.

"No, silly Bella. Because I get to spend everyday of my summer break with you. And if I do go to London, then you're coming too."

"You're crazy Edward." She told me softly. "But I do have to agree with you."

I kissed her again, this time on the mouth.

**Okay, that took all of five hours to type. That wasn;t too bad, was it? The last um… four pages were all my friend's idea. I wanted to do something to make it way more interesting, and she gave me the perfect idea! So anyway, thanks Victoria.**

**Merry Christmas, guys! Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys. Ugh, I totally lost this chapter and had to retype it. Twice! Sorry it's so late! Really, I am sorry, but it's also late 'cause I've been sitting at my computer watching the Colts game on line. I can't believe they actually beat the Titans. anyway... here's the next chapter.  
**

Chapter Sixteen

I decided to ditch class that day, but I wasn't going to skip out on practice. As soon as Bella left, I changed out of my soaked clothes and suit, careful not to put too much weight on my leg. Even just the tiniest bit of weight was sheer agony. I groaned, sitting down on my bed to put my shorts on.

I spent the rest of the day catching up and getting ahead on homework. I hadn't had any time to do it last week.

I got ready when my alarm went off at four forty-five. I had to admit, I owed Bella one for setting my watch before she left.

It was a little easier to put weight on my leg now, but my knee still hurt like freaking hell.

I leaned on the wall as I walked down the hall way, putting as little weight as possible on my knee. Going down the steps was torture. I leaned on the handrail as much as I could, but that didn't stop pain from flaring every other step.

Walking across campus to the pool was nothing in comparison to walking from my dorm room down the stairs. Walking down the stairs at the complex was a different story all together. Every other step was like someone shoving a thousand hot knives in one place. I couldn't suppress the groans.

Once I finally got to the bottom of the stairwell and pushed open the door, I followed my familiar path around the pool deck.

I dropped my bag back and sat down next to it. I tried to bend my knee a little, just to see how badly I had injured it. Right when I did, I regretted it.

I ran my fingers over the tape. The heat from the swelling was enough that I could feel it through the tape.

"Hey," Bella told me cheerfully as both her and her backpack dropped to the gorund beside me. "How's your knee?"

"Ugh," I groaned. "It's been better."

Bella laughed lightly. "Does it still hurt?"

I shrugged. "Just when I walk."

"I'll take that as a yes, then."

We sat there quietly while I stretched out as best as I could, groaning every time I moved my knee the wrong way.

After a few minutes, Bella broke the silence. "You knew him, didn't you?"

"Yeah," I muttered darkly. "I knew him. He and I go _way _back."

"What do you mean?"

"He's Aro's son… and when Aro suggested I start swimming… my parents wanted nothing more than for me to make a few friends and stop being so scared. Dimitri and I were friends for abut three years, until we were old enough to actually race in meets. When I swam on Saturdays and he didn't… he got mad. He would, basically, torment me. Alice would always stand up for me. The… everything got worse after I went blind. Alice was always yelling at them to go away. Emmett would promise me that he would kill them. My siblings were there for me through everything. Even during a couple of emotional breakdowns."

"Your siblings are really cool," Bella told me, taking my hand. "I always wished I had a family like yours, you know, there for you through everything."

"You don't have any siblings, do you?"

"Nope. Just me and my mom. My dad lives in Washington State. Some tiny little town in the Olympic Peninsula."

I smiled. "It can get annoying, but I love 'em anyway."

"So wait… emotional breakdowns?" Bella asked, bringing the topic back to what I was saying.

"When I was ten or eleven, I suffered pretty severe bouts of depression, where I would seriously consider killing myself. My mom and dad just made me go to the therapy more often. I made Alice and Emmett swear not to tell them about Dimitri. I just wanted to deal with it myself, suffer in silence.

"Eventually, Alice cracked. She couldn't stand watching me go through that everyday. She told my dad, and he got _really _pissed at Aro, and really upset with me for not telling him. My dad made him promise that we wouldn't go to the same college, since high school, was taken care of, and there wasn't much he could do about swimming. Aro was adamant about not taking Dimitri off the team. Our team had the best coaches in all of Chicago. My dad just couldn't convince him."

"That really sucks," Bella told me, giving me a quick hug. "Did he do anything else to you? I mean, did he finally leave you alone?"

"no. he was the one who-."

"Edward!" My coach said loudly out of nowhere. I jumped about a mile. "Story time is over. Practice time starts now. And what the _hell _did you do to your knee?"

I pulled my caps and goggles out of my bag. "Long story," I muttered. "Tell you later."

"I'll tell him," Bella told me quietly as I pulled my cap on.

"Thanks," I smiled.

"You really shouldn't do that, you know."

"Huh?"

"Smile like that."

"Why not?" she had me completely confused.

"Edward, you got a pull-buoy, and hand paddles, right?" coach asked gruffly. I could tell he wasn't too happy with my latest injury.

"Yeah, I think they're in my backpack."

"I'll grab them for you," Bella offered.

"Thanks," I smiled and jumped in the water.

Bella handed me the pull buoy and my hand paddles.

"Get used to 'em, kid," Coach told me. "You're going to be using them till that knee gets better."

I groaned. Pull buoys were obnoxious, and paddles weren't much better. But it was better than nothing.

It took a couple of minutes to get the paddles on. Coach took the opportunity to give me the warm up set. Once I finally had the paddles on, I nodded and pushed off the wall.

The pull buoy stopped you from kicking, and instead made you focus on keeping your legs pressed tightly together. The paddles created resistance when you pulled through the water. Basically, when combined, they make practice hell, but have great results.

I finished the six hundred easy, and pulled off one of the paddles so I could get a drink of water before I started the four hundred, when I heard Coach and somebody else arguing. It wasn't Bella… it was a guy's voice.

"-don't understand what the hell he's doing here. He's supposed to be off the god damn team!" the voice said angrily. My stomach rolled. Why the hell was this dude so determined to screw up my life today?

"Edward, you better get started on that four hundred," Bella told me, just loudly enough so that I could hear it.

I nodded and sat my water bottle back on the deck before pulling the paddle back on and shoving off the wall. Not fast enough, of course. I just had to hear what Dimitri said next.

"I'll make sure my father hears about this. There's no way he's still going to be on the team once my father gets through to him."

I bit my tongue hard as I started the four hundred reverse I.M. I knew what he really meant when he said that. He meant 'when my father gets through _with_ him,"', not '_to_ him.'

What else could he take away from me that he hadn't already tried? What else did I have, that he didn't? What was there that he hadn't already done to me to make my life miserable?

Once I finished the set, Coach gave me another. I could tell that he was pissed. I mean, _really _pissed.

I had to do five one hundred, four times through, reverse I.M. order, on two thirty each. It wasn't really a fast set, just something to get my muscles warmed up for the later sets.

The sets after that were close to suicidal. Two fifteen hundreds on seventeen minutes each, close to impossible when you couldn't kick. Ten one hundreds on a minute fifteen each. Twelve fifties on thirty five. Stuff along those lines.

I was almost finished with the twelve fifties when Bella stopped me.

"You can take a break, Edward," she told me.

I pulled the paddles off, and my goggles. "What?"

"Your Coach went to go hunt down Dimitri and call his dad. Once I told him what happened this morning… let's just say it wasn't a pretty sight, watching a dude as old as him getting worked up like that. Anyway, he left me in charge for the rest of practice and dry lands," I could only imagine how brightly she must've been smiling. "and I say you can take a break before you finish this set."

"I'm fine, I don't need a break," I protested.

"Is your knee bothering you?"

"I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Just answer the question."

"No," I lied. It was starting to feel like it was on fire and the water wasn't doing anything to help.

"You're lying. Hop out," she told me; her voice had an accusing edge to it.

I climbed clumsily out of the water.

"Take your cap off," Bella laughed. "You're not swimming any more tonight. Just dry lands."

I pulled my towel out of my backpack when I shoved my paddles and pull buoy back in. I sprawled my towel on the tiles and sat down on top of it, unconsciously rubbing my knee.

"I've got a cold water bottle," Bella told me. "Do you think that will help any?"

I shrugged. "Doubt it, but thanks."

"No problem."

"What now, Coach?" I asked, teasing her.

"I like that." she told me. "Wait, you were joking, weren't you?"

I nodded, grinning.

"You can do a hundred sit-ups for that," her tone was light, going along, but I knew she was serious.

"That's it?"

"I can give you more," she told me.

"One hundred's fine."

"Keep your legs straight, though. Don't bend them like you normally would. And go all the way up."

The rest of the half hour (Bella cut it short, just like practice) was like that, too. Well… not really. Mostly it was stretching out, and trying not to completely kill my knee.

When Bella finally said we were done, I couldn't have been happier. I was starving, and exhausted. She hadn't been kidding this morning that was for sure.

"You wanna go grab something to eat?" I asked, pulling my shorts on.

"Sure. You've gotta be hungry."

I shrugged. "Nothing some food won't take care of."

"First you better change out of your suit, though." She told me.

"Yeah," I agreed. "You mind if we stop by my dorm before we head to dinner?" I pulled my t-shirt on over my head, and grabbed my backpack off the pool deck.

"Nope."

We set off around the pool deck.

"What were you saying earlier, about Dimitri?" she asked.

"You ask a lot of questions, you know that?"

"I'm curious."

"It wasn't anything important."

"Didn't sound like it."

"You seriously wanna know?" I asked. "It was 'cause of Dimitri I got sick, both times."

"Wha-?" she asked. "What do you mean? I thought… you said your coach hated you, and he got mad at you."

I shrugged. "That was only half of it. He hated me, and loved Dimitri. His dad paid him a lot of money, I guess. Dimitri and I were always getting into fights at practice, and I would get the blame. One day, Dimitri and I really got into before practice, and the coach walked up. Of course, he sided with Dimitri on everything, and threw me in the water."

"Your kidding, right?"

"I wish I was."

We started up the stairs, and didn't talk again till we were outside.

"What about… the other time? When you were twelve?"

"Ugh. That was really weird. My mom dropped me off at the pool for some extra practice after school. Just me, the coach, and Dimitri. I didn't want to go, but I knew it would be good, since both of us had Junior Nationals coming up. The coach left both of us at the end of the practice… somehow… I ended up falling into the water in the deep end of the pool… and I couldn't find the wall. Dimitri had shoved me in, fully clothed. The weight from my clothes was enough to nearly drown me.

"It just had to be cold out, too. I told my mom I had accidentally fallen in the water. She basically freaked."

"But… you told me you got sick _after_ Junior Nationals."

"Not technically… I was hospitalized after the meet. I was sick during it. I just didn't let my parents know. I swam the best races of the season there, completely kicked Dimitri's ass in the semis. The day after I felt horrible but… beating Dimitri was all I really cared about."

"He hasn't forgiven you for beating him in the semis, has he?"

"Nope. And he thinks he can beat me at the Trials. I_ know_ he wasn't at Nationals, so he must've just qualified for the event he's swimming. So his time must be pretty slow. I guess he hasn't looked up the disability open results online."

"Probably not." Bella agreed.

We climbed up the stairs to my dorm room, and Bella waited outside as I changed, and tossed my towel on the doorknob to my closet.

I heard voices on the other side of the door as I went to open it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Bella hissed. "Get off of me!"

"No." Dimitri's voice hissed right back, low and dangerous. "What were you doing with Cullen earlier?"

"Get away from me," Bella practically shouted.

I'd had enough. I shoved the door open. "Leave her alone, Fyne."

"Oh, got a blind kid to stick up for you now. Have you? I'm _so_ scared."

I followed the sound of his voice. He was to my right. I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him away form Bella.

"Come near her again, and your dad will have a lawsuit to deal instead of just a call from the swim coach," I muttered.

"Are you _trying_ to threaten me, Cullen?" Dimitri hissed. "You don't scare me. You couldn't hurt me if you tried!" his voice rose with each word. "Let alone beat me," he added as an after thought.

"Oh yeah?" I asked. I was sick of this crap. I was sick of this dude. Why couldn't he just leave me the hell alone? It'd been eleven years, for God's sake. "Then let's finally settle this."

"What do you have in mind?" he asked.

"The Trials. If I beat you, you leave me alone for good. If you beat me, I give up swimming." As I said it, my stomach knotted. Was I crazy? Yeah, maybe. It was worth it though. At least, it seemed like it.

"If I beat you, you'll stop swimming, seriously?" I could just picture his face lighting up. "You're on, Cullen. The hundred fly."

"Of course, if I beat you in the heats alone, you realize I've won, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Like_ that's_ going to happen." The tone of his voice told me he was sneering. "You're going down, Cullen."

I rolled my eyes as he walked away, and turned around and hugged Bella to me as tightly as possible.

"I am so sorry, Bella." I whispered.

She cried quietly into my chest for a few minutes.

"Edward, you better win that bet," she told me after a few minutes. "You have to. I couldn't handle it if you stopped swimming. Not after all the work you've put into it."

I had no intention to stop swimming, even if I did lose the bet, just like I knew Dimitri had no intention to leave me alone.

All the same….

"I promise, Bella" I whispered. "I promise I'll beat him if it's the last thing i have to do."

She kissed me then, desperately.

I couldn't help but kiss her right back.

**Okay, so a little boring, but I'm working on it! At least now I have the plot set up for the rest of the story… sort of. Besides… it's winter break! My brain just happened to be in Aspen while I'm stuck at home. Coming up with stuff is practically impossible, and remembering it is even harder.**

**Review guys!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys. I finally got this chapter finished just in time to get it posted before practice. I hope you guys like it.**

Chapter Seventeen

I don't know how long we stood there, but eventually she pushed herself off of my chest.

"I- Edward- dinner," she mumbled.

"Come again?" I laughed.

"We were supposed to go get some dinner."

I shrugged. "I got some food here."

"What?"

"You know, protein bars and stuff. I _know_ Jasper has a secret stash of Hershey bars in there somewhere."

"That's not stuff you should be eating," she scolded lightly.

I shrugged again. "Yeah, well, it gets you through the night when you're starving at eleven o' clock."

"Whatever." She laughed. "Alice has some food in our dorm room. At least… at least let me run over there and grab some."

I pouted jokingly. "Do I have to?"

"Do you wanna eat tonight?" I nodded. "I'll only be gone five minutes."

"Fine."

She walked away; her soft foot falls hardly muffled on the threadbare carpet. I went back into my dorm room, and changed out of my clothes into a pair of pajamas.

I was sitting on my bed, leaning against the wall, when I heard the door open, and Bella muttering something to herself.

"What's wrong?" I asked as she sat down on my bed and handed me a small tub.

"Wha-? Oh, nothing."

"I highly doubt that," I smiled, pulling the lid off the tub.

"Seriously!"

"Your roommates with Alice, right?" I asked.

"Well, yeah."

"Enough said," I waved my hand in the general direction of Jasper's side of the room.

She laughed. "Here," she handed me a fork.

"Thanks," I took it and started eating.

"Is it good?" I hear her pull the lid off her own tub.

"Hm? Yeah."

"Sorry it's cold."

"I've eaten worse."

She laughed again, and my heart skipped a couple of beats.

"Alice went out to dinner last night. She said it wouldn't be this cold."

"Yeah, well, Alice has never really paid attention to things like that."

"Very true."

We ate in silence for a few minutes. Finally, though, I couldn't keep silent any longer.

"Bella… what did he do to you?"

"I- he-," she sighed. "I was just standing there waiting… and he came up to me. He wanted to know what I was doing, and why you were still on the team. I swear, I didn't tell him anything but to get the hell away from me. He shoved me back against the wall… and that's when you came."

"Bella… if anything like that _ever_ happens again, scream as loud as you can."

"And have you running into the hall way with out a shirt on?" she sounded amused.

"If I have to, hell yeah."

"You've been spending _way _too much time in Maryland."

"Nah. Just way too much time with Jasper."

She laughed again. "I'm thirsty. Do you have any water?"

"I've got tons of Gatorade in the fridge."

"That'll work."

Her weight vanished off my bed, only to be replaced a moment later as she sat back down. She handed me a bottle.

"Thanks."

We finished eating, and Bella threw the trash away, before curling up next to me, her head pressed against my shoulder.

I'd thought she'd fallen asleep when she asked, "You think Jasper's ever coming back?"

I laughed. "Knowing Alice, of course not."

"Ugh." Bella groaned.

"You can crash here if you want."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I mean… what do you normally do when they take over your room?"

"Crash in the dorm lounge."

"Next time, just stay here. Our D.A. never checks in. he says Jasper and I are too good for our own good. How else do you think Jasper gets away with staying in the girls dorm?"

"Our D.A. says the same thing about Alice and me. Then again… our D.A. never does her rounds to begin with."

I laughed. "You sure you don't wanna go back for your pajama's or anything?"

"Nah. I'll just borrow yours."

I smiled. I couldn't blame her for not wanting to go back to her own dorm. "They're in the dresser, third drawer up form the bottom."

"Thanks."

She got off my bed again. I laid down. It was only eight o' clock, and I was exhausted.

"Tired all ready?" she asked, laughing softly as she crawled back onto my bed.

I nodded. "You turned the lights off, right?"

"Yep."

She laid her head on my chest, instead of on the pillows. I wrapped my arm around her and within seconds she and I were both asleep.

I woke up some time later. Bella's head was still lying on my chest, and my arm was still wrapped around her.

I ran my fingers through her hair tiredly. Why did I have to wake up in the middle of the night, the one time I need sleep the most?

Bella murmured something, and buried her head into my chest.

My heart jumped, and for a moment, I thought she was awake. Then I realized she was still asleep. She just… talked in her sleep.

I moved slightly, and instantly, her arm was around me, locking me in place.

"Mmm… don't move, Edward…. You make too good a pillow."

I had to swallow a laugh. So obviously, swimming wasn't the only thing she thought I was good at.

She sighed. "I love you, Edward. Don't ever leave."

I jumped. She said these words so clearly, I could've sworn she was awake.

Then what she said actually sank in.

She loved me?

My heart pounded at just the thought.

Then it stopped all together. Realization hit me harder than one of Emmett's punches, and I felt like I had just had the wind knocked out of me.

There was no way she could love me. Just no way. I- she… it just wasn't possible that _she_ of all people could've fallen in love with _me_.

I bit my lower lip, hard, trying to block those thoughts form my head. I'd grown up thinking there was no one out there who could ever love me except for my family.

It was easier to accept my feeling towards her than the fact that she returned them. It wasn't something I was used to… something I'd been brought up around. Bella had been the first girl I'd ever really liked, the first girl I'd ever kissed, the first girl I'd actually fallen in love with.

Now she loved me back, and I had no idea what to say to it.

I couldn't stop the emotions I felt for her... nor did i want to.

I fell back asleep some time later.

"C'mon, Edward! It's three fifteen! Time to wake up!"

I groaned. Only three fifteen? I'd fallen asleep sometime after two. Now I had to wake up again?

"Five more minutes," I mumbled, rolling over and burying my face in the pillow.

"Edward!"

"Please?" I asked.

"What time did you fall asleep?"

"I dunno," I mumbled.

"Five minutes. That's it."

I knew it was pointless to fall back asleep, but I still wasn't quite ready to wake up completely yet.

"C'mon. Edward. It's been five minutes."

I groaned and rolled off the bed.

"Happy?" I asked.

"Nope." She told me. "Get ready for practice. I'm going to go grab something form the snack machine."

I waited until I heard the door close behind her and changed quickly. I was relived when my knee didn't bother me as much. Sure, it still hurt, but nowhere near as much as it had yesterday.

The door opened again.

"You awake yet?"

I yawned and shook my head. "It's too early."

"Does Jasper have to go through this every morning?"

"Nope," I told her, pulling on a clean pair of shorts. "Normally I don't loose half a night's sleep."

"Oh," she muttered a regretful edge to her voice. "Did I wake you up?"

I shook my head as I grabbed a Gatorade bottle out of the fridge.

"Nope. I woke myself up about two hours ago… and just fell back asleep when you woke me up."

Bella groaned. "You're going to be wishing you had those other two hours of sleep after practice."

I shrugged. "I've got time… after practice."

"That doesn't help you now."

I shrugged.

We left my dorm room and walked down the hallway and down the stairs. Going down stairs didn't bother my knee nearly as much as it had yesterday, and Bella obviously noticed.

"Your knee feeling any better?"

I nodded. "Yeah. A lot better than it did yesterday."

"That's good. You can actually get something down today."

"I got stuff done yesterday!"

"Not as much as you were supposed to."

I rolled my eyes and shoved open the front door.

"Yeah well… sometimes, you deal with what you've got."

"True."

She shoved open the door to the aquatics complex, and I followed her inside and downstairs to the pool deck and around the pool.

I dropped my backpack and sat down. Bella sat down next to me.

"What made you wake up last night?"

"I dunno… just… woke up."

"You seriously laid there for two hours?"

"Yeah. I was too comfortable to move."

I stretched my legs out in front of me.

"Too comfortable?"

"Yeah… you know, you talk in your sleep."

She groaned. "Oh, God. What did I say?"

I smiled a little, remembering everything she had said. "You said I was a really comfortable pillow, and I couldn't move… and…"

"And…?" she asked. "Just tell me! I won't laugh. I mean, I said after all."

I bit my lip, but finally gave in. "You said you loved me."

"I-I said that?" she asked nervously.

I nodded.

"I… I meant it. I really do love you, Edward."

I sucked in a sharp breath, and banged my head against the wall behind me. She just made this a whole lot harder on me.

"Edward?" Bella asked nervously.

"I'm fine. I just… don't understand."

"Huh?" Bella asked. "What don't you understand?"

"Yo- lif- everything!"

We sat there completely silent for a minute.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked softly after a moment. "What don't you understand?"

I pulled my leg up and leaned my head against it. "I don't know. Being confused?"

"Why are you confused?"

"Ugh. I don't know."

"I'm sorry,. Edward," she whispered. "I'll just-."

"No," I grabbed her wrist. "No, please. Don't go."

"Then tall me why you're so confused. You have to know."

"I guess… I'm just not used to it."

"What?"

"Someone as amazing as you falling in love with me."

"Amazing? Me?" she laughed. "Far from it, actually."

"You're right," I kissed her. "Not even an angel could be as amazing as you."

"You're crazy," she protested. "I'm no angel. I'm just an ordinary kid from Phoenix."

"Not to me."

"Finish stretching out. Practice starts in about ten minutes."

"Bella?"

"What?"

"I love you."

Practice was rough. Coach let me go half of practice without the pull buoy and hand paddles before the pain in my knee was too much. I really didn't want to have to use them again, and I didn't tell Bella, but of course, she figured it out and made me use them.

By the end of the two hours, I was dead tired. obviously, my lack of sleep hadn't helped at all. I was ready to go crawl backl in to bed, but I still had dry lands.

After practice, Bell had to go get ready for class at eight. I planned on just going back to my dorm and going to sleep.

Of course, that doesn't always help.

**Not exactly the best ending to a chapter, but it will have to suffice. I'll try to post again on new year's eve or day, promise. Right now, I'm going to be late for practice, and I really don't need to run laps around the outside of the aquatics complex so all the college kids can laugh… stupid winter break practices….**

**Anyway, review guys!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys. Yeah I know the last chapter was all dialogue. Not very important… till the last couple of pages, anyway. I promise this chapter will be a little better! Oh, and Happy New Year!**

Chapter Eighteen

I woke up sometime around three and did some homework before heading down to the pool for practice. I swallowed a couple of painkillers and some Gatorade, too. I wasn't gonna let my knee bother me.

When I was stretching out on the pool deck, I let my mind wander elsewhere. Of course, it happened to wander right to the thing that was bugging me most, the Trials.

How the hell was I supposed to beat Dimitri? Yeah, as kids, I'd always been faster, but I had no idea what sort of training he'd been through in the past couple of years.

There was no way I was going to let him beat me. There was no way… I just couldn't do that. He wasn't going to beat me.

But what if he did? What if I did lose? There was no way I was ever going to give up swimming, and at the Trials, I wasn't going to skip a single race. I _had_ to make it on the team. I just _had_ to prove that even though I'm blind, I could compete at the Olympic level and win.

But what is Dimitri _did_ beat me? What would happen if he made me see the bet through, and not swim anymore? What would happen if-.

"Ready for a hard practice?" Bella asked cheerfully.

I jumped, startled out of my thoughts. "Not when you talk like that. How bad is it?"

"It's basically just a nine thousand meter endurance work out work out, not including warm up, warm down, or sprint sets... and some rough dry lands."

Great. "Basically more than a twelve thousand meter work out?" Okay, so it didn't sound that hard… but I knew when I passed out on the pool deck after practice, I wasn't going to be feeling the same.

"It's not going to be that bad. I promise. And besides, you've gotta start doing between twelve to fifteen thousand every day."

"Yeah, I know. Just gotta deal with it." I yawned. God I was gonna pay for this. "Practice is three hours now, plus dry lands?" I asked, not really thinking about practice.

"You say that like it's a bad thing!" Bella laughed." But, yeah. And it starts at four instead of five. That's no big deal, though. Practice in the morning is three hours now, anyway. And this is supposed to be a harder week than next week. Next week is more aerobic than endurance and sprints." Bella told me. I nodded distantly, barely listening. "After this, you're definitely going to get some sleep. A real night's sleep. You're way too spaced out."

I grinned slightly. "Sorry. My mind's elsewhere." I paused. "It's not bad. I guess I'm just tired."

"If you say so." Bella sighed. "Thinking about the Trials?"

"Maybe…." This girl knew me way too well.

"Don't be nervous. And don't worry. You're gonna do great. America won't know what's going to hit them in Omaha. Michael Phelps won't either."

"No," I whispered.

"Huh?"

"I don't want to be the next Michael Phelps." I told her honestly. "I want to be the only Edward Cullen. The only blind swimmer on the Olympic team. I just wanna prove that I can do it, that it doesn't matter that I can't see."

Bella was quiet for a minute, and I could only assume she was thinking this over "I should've known. You'd never settle for second best, would you?" Bella sighed. "I'm sorry. I'll stop comparing you to him."

That reminded me of my Dimitri problem. No, I would never settle for second best. Not as long as there were others out there who wanted to win badly enough that they'd try to sabotage someone's career. I grinned, in spite of my self. "Thanks. C'mon. Practice is starting soon."

I pulled my cap on and my goggles and jumped in the water. Bella gave me the warm up sets she and Coach had agreed on. He was late for practice, which was really weird. I don't think he's ever missed a practice a day in his life.

I did the thousand easy and the eight hundred I.M. The sets were long and demanding, but gave me time to think and focus.

By the time I finished warm up, I was ready for the practice at hand. Screw the Trials; I had a little more than two and a half months to worry about them. Right now, practicing and training as hard as I could is what's important.

Bella gave me a set of twenty fifties to do, on five seconds rest each. I finished the set in a matter of minutes. It wasn't too hard.

I pulled my goggles off and drank some of my Gatorade, waiting for the next set.

"Sorry bout that," Coach told me.

"You're never late," I accused, keeping my tone light. "I was about to think you died."

"Nope. Far from it. I just had a little business to take care of in my office." His tone implied that it hadn't actually been taken care of.

I was about to ask what would've been so important he would've missed the start of practice. This guy was never late, had never missed anything a day in his life. "Seriously?" I asked, skeptical.

"Yeah." Coach sighed. "Anyway, on with practice. Four five hundreds, I.M. order, two times through."

I nodded. That wasn't too bad. "Intervals?"

"Nope. Just ten seconds rest."

I nodded again, pulled my goggles down over my eyes and took off.

The rest of practice was like that- a long, hard, endurance set, a thousand meters of sprints, than another endurance set, and about two thousand meters of sprints. It was around an eight thousand meter work out, and another couple thousand for warm up and warm down combined.

By the end of practice, I realized Bell had been right. Any more sleep deprivation, and I was definitely going to die at one of these practices.

Bella and I talked during dry lands. I could bend my knee a lot more, and she had me do fifty curl ups, just to test it, before making me do a lot more. It hadn't given me any problems during the entire practice, and it wasn't bothering me now. I didn't know if that was because of the painkillers or if it was finally just getting better.

I rewrapped it after practice; I could definitely feel that the swelling had gone down a lot.

I got dressed quickly, and walked Bella walked with me back to my dorm.

"Why were you nervous earlier? About Trials, I mean."

I shrugged and pushed the door to my dorm open. "My thoughts just got carried away." We climbed up the steps before she answered.

"Sure they did. Seriously, you shouldn't be nervous yet. There's a couple of months until the Trials, and even longer still till the Olympics. You shouldn't be nervous just yet."

"I wasn't nervous!" I protested. "I was just… thinking."

"I believe you," she laughed. "Sometimes it's so much fun to give you a hard time."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll meet you down at the cafeteria for dinner in ten minutes."

"Sounds good, see you then." I heard her etreating foortsteps on the carpet, before I to open the door to my room.

"Hello, Edward!"

Oh dear freaking God, what the hell did he want now? Why was he even here, in the first place?

"What _now_?" I asked coldly. "Haven't you screwed up my life enough?"

"Edward, Edward, Edward," great, now he was talking to me like I was three. "Who was that with you?" he kept his tone light, but there was no way I was going to do the same to him.

"A friend," I muttered between my teeth. "What's it matter to you?"

Aro laughed. "nothing. Of course, I heard her mention the Olympic Trials. Care to explain that?"

"I don't have to explain anything to you."

I turned, and went to open the door again, but his hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back around.

"Look, you must be pretty damn stubborn if you think you can go against m- your parents and continue to swim for the school, let alone go to the Trials." Aro's face was so close to mine, I could feel his breath on my cheek. "You are _nothing_, you hear me? _Nothing_. You always have been, and you always will be. Swimming in the Trials will get you nowhere. You'll just get humiliated, and your parents will be outraged. Save yourself the trouble, and _stop swimming_."

I shrugged his hand off my shoulder. "Don't touch me." His words hit a raw nerve though, and my voice didn't sound as strong as I had wanted it to. "I would never stop swimming. There's nothing anyone, or anything, could do to make me."

He laughed softly. "You always were stubborn." He shoved me back into the door. "I could buy your worthless self. And you can't tell me what to do."

_God damn it, of all the times for Jasper to actually be in our room, let it be now! _I thought desperately.

"You'll stop swimming, or your parents will get involved," Aro hissed.

I struggled against his grip. God damn, this dude was strong. "Hell no!" at this point, I really didn't care if my parents got in this or not. They couldn't change my mind now.

He moved on hand off my shoulder and around my neck.

"Get off of me," I gasped. Dammit, Jasper!

Aro just laughed. "I don't think so. Swim in the Trials, and worse things'll happen."

"N-," I started to say. Just then the door flew back, and Aro's hand disappeared from round my throat, and I fell.

"What the hell?" Emmett asked, grabbing my arm to stop me from falling. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Just having a friendly chat with my friend here," his voice was cold, sending shivers up and down my spine.

"Leave my brother alone," Emmett growled. "You don't want the cops coming after you," with that, he dragged me into my room and slammed the door. I heard the lock click as he pushed me down on to my bed.

"Edward. What the hell happened?" Emmett asked.

I just shook my head. What the hell had just happened? One second, I was promising to meet Bella for dinner, the next… Emmett was coming to my rescue.

"Damn it, Edward!" Emmett growled.

"Here, Emmett, make him drink this." Jasper told him calmly. Out of the three of us, he was the one who always kept a level head.

I heard Emmett twist the cap off a bottle, and press it into my hand. "Drink." He ordered gruffly.

I drank the Gatorade,, downing the entire bottle.

"Feel better?" Jasper asked.

I nodded shakily. "Yeah, thanks."

"What happened?" Jasper asked.

"I-he-," I sighed. "Bella was walking with me back to my dorm, and she had just left after I promised to meet her for dinner." Dang it. I was probably going to be late for that. "Aro came out of nowhere." I didn't bother filling in on the details. "and next thing I knew, I was shoved up against the door, and you guys _finally_ open it."

"That was my fault," Jasper told me sheepishly. "Emmett was going to open the door as soon as we heard you slam into it. I held him back. I thought it was just a couple of hyper kids coming back from dinner."

"Thanks," I told them, sliding off my bed and grabbing clean clothes out of my dresser. "I've got to meet Bella for dinner."

I paused at the door. "Emmett, what were you doing in here, anyway?"

"I… we were studying and… I got bored so we ordered Chinese food."

"Only you, Emmett."

I went down the hall to the bathroom to change.

When I went back to my room to toss my wet clothes over my chair, Emmett told me to save him and Jasper a could of seats at dinner. His tone implied that they weren't going to be eating. I didn't even bother to ask. Something told me that I didn't want to know.

As I was walking across the grounds, someone grabbed my arm when I was right outside the cafeteria.

I jumped, spun around.

"Jumpy?" Bella laughed. I relaxed.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"You're late," she told me.

I shrugged. "I ran into… a problem."

"Dimitri?" she asked sympathetically.

"Worse."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Yeah."

We walked into the cafeteria, and grabbed something to eat. She found us a table, and told me there were enough seats for Alice, Emmett, and Jasper. Alice was going to meet up with us in a few minutes.

I summed up what happened, giving a little bit more detail than I had told Emmett. Emmett was prone to overreaction. I still wasn't sure if Bella was or not.

As it was, Bella still sounded freaked.

"Seriously? You're kidding, right?"

I shook my head.

I picked at my food for a few minutes. I definitely didn't feel too great.

"Hey guys," Alice chirped. I heard her drag a chair across the linoleum floors. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Bell and I said at the same time.

Alice laughed. "Okay. How was practice?"

I shrugged. "Fine."

"Hey Alice, hey Bella," I heard Emmett say, pulling a chair back for himself. I heard a second chair pull back, and knew Jasper was with him.

"Here, Edward. I got something for you to listen to." I held out my hand, and Emmett handed me small plastic square.

"Hit the end button," he told me. I realized it was an old tape recorder.

I curiously hit the end button. The voices were muffled, but loud enough that the old tape recorder had been able to pick up almost every word.

"… dad I don't get why you can't do anything to make sure Cullen's off the team and can't swim in the Trials." I heard Dimitri whine.

"I've done the best I can, son. Just beat him onto the team in the hundred fly at Trials, and win that little bet you two set up. There. Problem solved, and he'll finally leave you alone, and maybe stop swimming out of shame,"

"Like that'll ever happen." Dimitri scoffed. "I looked up his current times. My time sucks compared to his. And like he'll ever stop swimming. When you tried to convince the coach that his parents tried to get him off the team, he didn't even miss a single practice. He's been training harder than ever for the Trials. There's no way I'll beat him."

"Win, and he'll no longer be a problem."

"Dad, I just told you. That's not going to happen!"

"It can, and it will. When this is all over, he'll no longer be a problem." Aro laughed. "I've got a pl-."

The tape ended just then, picking up on a woman talking about math. I turned the recorder off, furious.

My blood was boiling. What the hell? '_he'll no longer be a problem_' what wad that supposed to mean?

My stomach knotted, making me feel even sicker. I was sure I didn't want to know.

I knew one thing, there was no way he was going to beat me at that hundred fly. If it was the only race I made it onto the team for, so be it. The only way he was going to beat me would be if hell were to freeze over.

"Emmett, can I keep this?" I asked.

"Yeah. It's yours." Emmett asked confused.

I realized the tape they had overridden had been my calculus tape. "You erased my calculus tape?"

"It was from last year!" Emmett protested.

"No, it was from last _semester_." I really didn't care. Calculus was impossible, and I doubted the recording would help, anyway.

"Oh… sorry, bro."

"It's fine." I grabbed my tray. "I'll see you guys later," I stood up to go trhow it away.

"You're done?" Alice asked, surprised.

I nodded. "I'm not that hungry."

I dumped the tray and headed back to my room, my thoughts racing.

If Dimitri thought I was going to beat him, he had another thing coming. There was no way, absolutely no way he was making it onto the team in that event. Hell, if I could, there was no way he was even going to make it to the Semis.

But what did Aro mean when he said he had a pl-? I was certain he meant plan. But what the hell could that have involved?

_Damn it Emmett_, I cursed mentally. _Why couldn't you have gotten the rest of what Aro said?_

Once I got to my room, I sprawled out on the bed, thinking, listening to the tape over and over.

I fell asleep pretty fast, still pondering what Aro could've meant.

**Okay guys. I'm so sorry this took so long to update. I've been reading the vampire academy books and a Michael Phelps autobiography, and it took a lot longer than I thought it would to come up with the idea, and my friend had to help me out. A lot. So I hope the chapter was good enough that you aren't mad.**

**Review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys. I've been in a bad mood since Saturday night (the Colts lost… in overtime! Screw the chargers…. I mean, we can beat the Titans but we can't beat the Chargers….) anyway, I had a really hard time writing this chapter, and half of it is my editor's ideas. Enjoy!**

Chapter Nineteen

That tape kept me motivated all through the next month. Every time before I went to sleep, I would play it. Every morning when I woke up, I would play it. Hell, I even played it at practice once.

The entire month of April passed like that. Sundays I didn't sleep in like I once had. I would go down to the gym and work out for a couple of hours before breakfast, lifting weights, running on a treadmill, and riding the stationary bike.

Practices differed from week to week. One week would be all about endurance. The next, would be sprinting. We went through that cycle twice, and in May, we worked on technique at ever single practice, focusing on the slightest mess up in rhythm and motion. We worked on my turns, my underwater kicks, and my starts.

My knee got a little bit better. It still bothered me a lot when I didn't take a painkiller, but the sports tape seemed to help just as much.. If I swam without my knee taped up, it would hurt. Badly. It didn't even need to be taped up tight. Just enough so that the compression was there.

Bella helped a lot through the month, in practice, and dealing with everything else. She helped me study for finals in May, and if she thought I couldn't handle the workload, she would have me stay up later than normal to get everything done, and made practice even easier because lack of sleep might not have worked for the practice she and Coach had in mind. She did so much to get me through April, that words would never been enough to thank her.

Finals in May were brutal, but once they were over, they were over. I could focus completely on swimming and not worry about school work. But then, practices became so easy, no more than five thousand meters a day, that I actually had trouble sleeping at night.

School ended the last week of May, and instead of going home to Chicago, Coach, Bella, Alice, and I were off to Omaha for the Trials.

Alice was a huge help, too. She managed to convince my parents that she and I were going to Phoenix to spend a couple months with Bella. She told my mom she thought it would be hard for me to be home with all the excitement over the Trials when I wasn't supposed to be swimming anymore.

Emmett was a huge asset, too. He promised to keep mom and dad out of the house every night for the hour that the Trials were aired on television. If his plans didn't work, than I had had to beg him to record and tell me in detail mom and dad's reactions to watching me swim in the Trials.

The pool hadn't even been set up yet, but Coach managed to set up two practices every day in a lap lane at a local Recenter.

I wasn't nervous about the Trials anymore. Far from it, actually. I was…_confident_. I actually felt like I had a pretty good shot at making it onto the team. My fly was faster than it had ever been, my backstroke smoother, my breaststroke longer, and my freestyle easier. I at least figured to place top two in the I.M.'s and the fly.

Other swimmers eventually arrived in Omaha, too, and soon, the Myrtha pool was set up and ready to go at the Qwest center.

Practice was open to reporters every morning, and the place was crowded. Coach would always make sure we had a lane, though, and he managed to get the reporters to leave me alone. Well… most of the time.

Two weeks before the Trials were set to start, a reporter came up to me and Bella as I was drying off after a light practice.

"Edward!" the reporter gushed. "It's great to see you again."

Tanya Birch. I should've known. She had once swum on the same team as me, but she had never been very good. She had, though, been very good at spreading lies and rumors about other swimmers, making things up, and stretching the truth. Yet she had always had a soft sport for me. I had never wanted a relationship from her, though. In my junior year, she was in her sophomore year of college, and had called me to tell me she had gotten a job on a local newspaper.

"Hello, Tanya," I told her, trying not to be too cold, but cool enough that she got the point.

"Who's your friend?" she asked.

"Tanya, Bella. Bella, Tanya."

"Nice to meet you," Bella told her.

"So, Edward, what are you doing here?" she ignored Bella.

"What do you think I'm doing?" I asked. "I'm getting ready for the Olympic Trials."

"Oh, come on!" she sighed, exasperated. "I mean, what are you doing here at the Trials. I always thought you were going to swim in the Paralympics."

I shrugged. "My times were fast enough, and I decided it was time to make a little history. Why can't a blind swimmer who's just as fast as his sighted competition swim on the same team?"

"Why do you think it's time to make history?" Tanya asked.

"Write anything down in an article, and you'll never be able to find a job again."

"Puh-lease," she drawled out the word. "You'll be thanking me come tomorrow."

"I'll believe it when it happens."

I grabbed my backpack, and Bella and I started to leave the Qwest center.

"Wait!" she called after me.

We stopped. "What?" I asked.

"At least tell me why you think you can make history."

"I'll be the first blind swimmer to make it on to the Olympic team." I stated simply. "Can I please leave now?"

Once all the swimmers had started arriving in Omaha, all the qualifiers were requested to stay in hotel rooms with one other roommate. My roommate was supposed to be coming to Omaha today, so for the past couple of days I had had the hotel room all to myself, and Bella had been hanging out. I figured once my assigned roommate came, she wouldn't be able to any more, so I had tried to cram in as much time with her as possible, talking about anything and everything that didn't have anything to do with the meet.

"You knew her, didn't you?" Bella asked as we were walking down the street to the hotel.

"Yeah, I knew her."

"Something wrong?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Guess I'm just hyped up."

"Figures. Take it easy today, all right?" she made me promise that I wouldn't do anything stupid. "Trials start in exactly one week, and there's definitely not enough time to bounce back from some stupidity induced injury."

"Not all of my injuries were induced!" I protested. "They were all accidents."

"Your wrist?"

"Screwed up stroke count."

"Your knee?"

"How was I supposed to know the stairs were there? My mind was elsewhere!"

We bickered like that until we got to the floor I was staying on. She was sharing a room on a higher floor with Alice, and Coach was sharing a room with the Olympic team's head coach, Eddie.

I put the key into the automatic lock, and tossed my stuff in the direction my bed was in, before collapsing on it and falling asleep.

I didn't sleep for long. I heard someone rummaging through drawers and sliding the closet door back and forth, along with opening and closing the door form the hallway to the room.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes tiredly, before remembering I hadn't hung my wet stuff up to dry. Cursing under my breath, I went into the bathroom to toss the towels on to a towel rack and change out of my soaked suit.

I wanted to go back to sleep. But I assumed my new roommate was here.

"Hey, man," I heard a guy say as I sat back on my bed. "I'm Jordan."

He shook my hand. "Edward."

I heard him sit down on the other bed.

"What're you swimming?"

I shrugged. "Fly, I.M. and freestyle. You?"

"Back and breast. I don't have any endurance for an I.M. and my fly is horrible." I knew he was grinning form the way he talked. "You going to try to make the relays?"

"I'm going to swim my best, and if I manage to make one of the free relays, I manage to make it." I answered honestly. I highly doubted I'd make a single relay. I wasn't swimming two hundred free, so that but the 4x200 out of the line up, and my hundred free time wasn't_ that_ good.

"Fly, right?" Jordan asked. "What's your best time?"

"A fifty one oh two," I had the time memorized. I was desperate to break that record, and I had the record memorized, too.

Jordan whistled. "Damn. That's fast."

I shrugged. "I want the record." I paused. "Backstroke, right?"

I took his silence as a nod. "What's your time?"

"Like a fifty three or fifty four."

"Nice. I'm lucky to beat one ten."

Jordan laughed.

The rest of the day, we both basically just hung around the room. I read a little of this autobiography I'd had since I was a kid and was just now reading. (The thing was like, four hundred pages thick. There was no way I had had time to read that much when I was a kid. it was a great time killer now, though.)

Jordan caught on pretty fast to the blindness thing, and didn't bug me about it (_some_ people can be considerate).

A couple other guys who were competing came to hang out, two of them rookies, like us, and a 2008 Games veteran, Garrett Weber-Gale.

We sat around joking and talking about football games and virtually everything else that didn't have to do with swimming.

Garrett went with us went we went to grab some lunch, and told us all sorts of stories about what he and a couple of other Olympic veterans had gotten into back at the 2008 Games.

All in all, the day went quickly, and I managed to keep my promise to Bella, and still have some fun hanging out with other swimmers.

Jordan wouldn't shut up that night when we were trying to get some sleep. I had to threaten to throw a pillow at his face for him to get the point.

I slept soundly, and Bella had to forcibly drag me out of bed at seven the next morning for practice. I assumed Jordan was all ready gone, or so dead to the world nothing was going to wake him up.

Practice was basically a warm up, it was so easy. We did fifteen sprints off the starting block. It would have been less, but my starts weren't as good as they should've been.

Bella and I decided to grab some breakfast afterwards. We were walking down the street from the hotel after I had dropped off my bag and changed.

"Oh, hold on a second. I wanna grab a newspaper."

I nodded, and a couple minutes later we were heading to a Dunkin' Donuts. I was starving, even after a practice as easy as that.

I slid into a booth while she grabbed us breakfast.

She came back quickly, and while I ate, I heard her flip through the newspaper.

"Oh, God," I heard her mutter.

"What?" I asked.

"Wha-? Oh, nothing."

She was lying. It was obvious.

"An article?" I asked. I inhaled sharply. Goddam it. Why couldn't reporters just leave the swimmers be and try to promote the sport?

"Well… yeah."

I exhaled slowly, before asking, "How bad?"

"I um… haven't had a chance to read it yet."

"Read it aloud," I requested. I wasn't as hungry as I had been when I first sat down.

"Um… are you sure?" she asked nervously.

I nodded. "Just read it."

"'Of all the swimmers who've managed to qualify for this year's Olympic Swimming Trials, there are those more commonly known from past Olympics, and then there are the rookies, the first timers. Of all the rookies this year, none is more commonly known than Edward Cullen….'" Bella paused. "Are you sure you want me to go on?"

"Yes," I answered immediately. "Wait… who wrote this?"

"Tanya Birch." I should've known.

"Go on then," I encouraged.

"'Cullen, rendered blind after a car accident nearly ten years ago, was expected to swim at the Paralympic Trials earlier this year. Just before the Trials, a source let it known that Cullen would be competing in the Olympic Trials in June.'"

Bella paused again. "You're certain you want me to go on?"

I nodded.

"'After a mid-morning practice yesterday, Cullen was overheard saying 'I'm too good for the Paralympics.'"

I slammed my hand down on the table. "I did not!" I hissed. "I said it was time to make history!"

"Edward, calm down!" Bella reprimanded me. "It's just one article. You can talk to a couple of other reporters, and get them to show where you actually stand."

I was infuriated. "Is there more?"

"Um… yeah," Bella said quietly.

"Go on then."

"'Other sources report Cullen saying 'The Paralympics get only a little coverage, and none of them have ever gone on to do great things.'" What the hell? I'd _never _say that. it was an honor to swim in the Paralympics, just like it was an honor to swim in the Olympics. Either way, you had a chance to compete against world class athletes as the best from your country. It took years of hard work and determination to get this far. It wasn't like I had just woke up one morning and decided on it. I had trained hard to qualify, and I felt like I deserved to be here.

Bella continued on with the article. "'Cullen's personal towel girl made this remark as she handed Cullen his towel after his workout 'all the filthy reporter scum need to be mopped up and locked away.' Are these the people we want to represent our country in London later this summer?'" Bella muttered the last few words viscously. "Towel girl? What the hell? I'd never say that! Yeah, I wish the reporters would leave the swimmers alone when they're getting ready for the meet but seriously! I never even said that!"

"Relax Bella. It's just one article."

"One article that's definitely going to get someone fired!"

_I bet I know why she typed this_. "Calm down, Bella. I'll straighten her out later."

"Edward! That wasn't a fair article! Imagine all the people out there right now reading it!"

"I'm just as upset as you are, but you need to relax. I'll talk to a couple of reporters tomorrow about the article, and my actual plans for swimming in the Trials." I had no idea why I was being so calm.

"But Edward-."

"No." I stated firmly. "It's one article. In two days, there'll be dozens that state the truth. Let people believe what they want to believe."

"Okay." Bella relented. "Can I at least verbally assault her for the article?"

"No. do you want any more remarks?"

"No…."

And with that, we went back to eating our breakfast, talking about lighter subjects.

**Okay. I know, not the best ending. I kinda lost inspiration. In the nest chapter, the Trials start. I wanted that to happen in this one, but it didn't go with the concept so… yeah. Anyway, I've gotta go to practice.**

**Review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! I am so sorry for the delay. I had my last open meet this past weekend, and it was my last chance to drop some serious time before champs and qualifiers next month. So the exhaustion sorta got to me… and last weekend was like, ugh. I didn't feel like doing **_**anything**_**. So anyway, I hope you like the chapter!**

Chapter Twenty

The Trials started in a little more than four days. My nineteenth birthday was less than twenty-four hours away. And still, we had trouble finding a reporter who wouldn't twist everything I said.

Or at least, try _not_ to build off of Tanya's stupid article.

Every single person Bella or I tried to talk to just wanted to get my reaction off of Tanya's article. A couple people (a.k.a. Bella and fellow swimmers) asked me if I was going to sue her, since what she had done had been considered libel, as I hadn't actually said those words. Repeatedly, I said no, I wasn't. I didn't need this to go to court. Soon enough, she'd probably get fired and have trouble finding another job, not to mention all the articles that would be written about _her_. That right there was satisfaction enough.

Sure, the reporters were everywhere, following us and other swimmers, trying to find a good story, but it wasn't like they were interested in anything we actually did. They wanted us to do something stupid, like getting drunk. They wanted to catch us taking drugs, or getting into fights, or doing _something_ other than what we were doing, and that was getting into the zone, and getting ready to make the team.

My nineteenth birthday went by like that. One minute, I was jumping into the water for practice, the next, I was heading back to the hotel for a shower and a nap before Bella and I went out to dinner.

Actually, the last few days before the Trials went like that, too. In the blink of an eye, the last days were gone, and it was Saturday, the twenty-third of June, and I was having trouble sleeping.

Okay, yeah, it was technically only eight in the evening, but I needed ten hours of sleep to function properly, and I wanted to get to the Qwest center early.

I eventually drifted off, and found myself dreaming about the race the next day- the prelims for the 200 fly.

Michael Phelps had decided he just had to swim that race- it was, after all, his best event, and he a good shot on making it onto the team in it. The 200 fly was one of the hardest events I had to swim this week, and the prelims being twelve hours away was making me jumpy, even in my sleep.

I pictured the perfect way to swim the race- the best start, best stroke, best breathing technique, best turns, everything. Of course, I also visualized everything that could go wrong, like falling off the block, false starting, messing up my stroke count and crashing in to the wall instead of hitting it at a full extension, hitting the lane line during my strokes….

I was surprised when I woke up, feeling well rested, and even a little optimistic. Yeah, this was the two hundred fly, and sure, the world record was about twelve seconds faster than my time, but who cares? As long as I got on the team, I didn't really care. Dropping ten seconds in the next two days would be great though.

I assumed Jordan was still asleep- the prelims for the hundred back were tomorrow. He was going to come watch the semis tonight, though.

My watch went off at seven. I had my bag packed up and ready. All I had to do was change into a warm up suit and some sweats before heading down to meet Bella.

The meet was set to start at ten o' clock. I had a good three hours to warm up, grab something to eat, and get completely focused.

It seemed like the entire hotel was awake as I went downstairs. I could hear people _everywhere_, running around, and talking loudly.

"Ready, Edward?" Bella asked as soon as I walked into the lobby.

I nodded. The nerves were starting to set in.

Bella took my hand. "C'mon." I could tell she was smiling. "It's not going to be _that_ bad. Just have some fun with it. It's not like if you don't make the semis in one event your off the team."

I grinned a little. After just a couple of months, she already knew me too well. Oh well. I liked it.

"Coach already at the pool?" I asked.

"Yeah. Managed to claim a lane before all the other psycho coaches got there. Says he doesn't want the other swimmers messing with the water before you got a chance to warm up" Bella laughed. My heart skipped a couple of beats. "Alice is too. She said she wanted to get down there early. She promised to meet us in the lobby after your race, though. Says she doesn't wanna lose her seat."

"Figures." I rolled my eyes. That was just like Alice, and even more like Coach. The old guy got paranoid from time to time. I mean, seriously. How the helld o you mess up the water, exactly? Stir it up? That's not exactly a bad thing…. Then again, warming up right before the meet was about to start sucked. Then you've gotta swim with the other swimmers who've just raced and are warming down, and it's hard to get a good work out. Maybe it was a_ good_ thing Coach got paranoid…. "C'mon. let's not keep the old guy waiting."

Bella laughed even harder at that. "He isn't_ that_ old!"

"He's old enough. I swear, the guy can't even remember that they changed the rules for breaststroke."

"They did?"

I faked a groan. "Yes, they did. You're allowed one dolphin kick off every wall before you start your underwater pullout. C'mon they changed that four years ago!"

"I guess I'm just really out of it, then."

We walked the rest of the way to the pool, joking and laughing. I enjoyed all the time I spent with Bella so much. When we actually got to the Qwest center, I was actually thinking of ways to stay out of the water for an extra minute or two, just to talk to her more. There was so much about her that I liked, and so much I still wanted to know. Even now, months later, I still felt like there was a lot about her I didn't know.

On deck, I could hear people _everywhere_. I could hear swimmers running around, coaches shouting out instructions and chewing their swimmers out for being late, and officials cursing out the timing equipment in the competition pool, and trying to get the computers to work. There was a lot to set up before the meet started, and not a lot of time. Then again… it was always like this.

Bella led me to the warm up pool, and Coach. In a matter of minutes, I had my cap and goggles on, and was in the water, starting an easy five hundred.

The set was easy, only two thousand, three hundred meters in all. Over the time span of an hour and a half, that was nothing compared to what I was used to.

Coach had gone to grab us something to eat during warm up, and as soon as I had dried off and had my sweats back on, we were in one of the ready rooms, eating.

Coach and Bella weren't technically supposed to be down there, but the officials (thankfully) had made an exception. How else was I gonna get to my lane, in time for my heat? Alice was up in the stands already.

Of course, while I was eating, Coach happened to tell me exactly what lane and heat I was going to be in.

Seventh heat, fifth lane. That meant I was the second fastest swimmer in the heat.

That sent my nerves _soaring_. My time wasn't that great, and swimming in the seventh heat wasn't exactly where I wanted to be. There were about twelve heats of this event alone. Swimming seventh meant I had some serious time to drop to make it onto the team.

As many times as I had swam this race, the competition had never been as tough, the stakes had never been set as high. I had to make the top sixteen to go to the semis, the top eight to go to the finals, and the top two to go to London. Basically, that meant don't kill yourself in the heats. Wait till the semis to put on some real speed.

I had entire race planned out in my head, exactly the way I was going to swim it. Of course, there was no guarantee I'd even make the top sixteen. It all depended on the way I raced, and the way the others raced.

But still… that got me all the more focused and unnerved all in one second.

The two hours passed _slowly_. I don't know how many songs I listened to on my iPod just to get the time to pass, and it just seemed to crawl by even slower. Stretching gave me something to do, but there was only so many times you can stretch every muscle without pulling it. It was a relief just to change into my Lazr Racer, just to have something to do. Bella had tried unsuccessfully to distract me. It would have normally have worked but… my mind was so far gone I don't think there was anything that could've worked.

Eventually, _finally_, it was time for my race.

"Don't forget, son," Coach told me, his voice actually shaking. "use the speed from the block to get a nice lead, tone it down a bit that second fifty, keeping the pace easy, bring it back in the third, and give all you think you should that last one. I don't want you killing yourself before tonight. That's were the speed really matters. Just drop some time right now."

I nodded. "How much is enough on the last one?"

"You're a smart kid. Give it just enough that you won't be dead tonight, but save up your energy all the same. What's important right now is knocking time off. Don't drop serious time until tonight. You don't need to be going hat fast to make it in the semis."

I nodded. That made sense.

Bella walked with me on to the deck. She promised to be waiting not to far when I finished the race, before leaving me behind my lane.

There were still two heats before mine, one about to start, and the other waiting for that one to finish. As soon as the first of the two went off, I kicked off my crocs and pulled my jacket off. This race took an average of two minutes. It gave me four minutes to finish stretching my shoulders out before my heat.

The crowd in the Qwest center was insanely loud, enough to actually make my ears hurt. Pulling on my first cap, I noticed that it actually stifled the noise, and made everything bearable again.

When the last heat before mine went off, I pulled my sweatpants off and my goggles and second cap on, stretching out my shoulders one last time.

All too soon, that heat ended, the starter was announcing the heat, and I was climbing up on the block.

"Swimmers, take your marks." I grasped the block, muscles tense, waiting, ready. As I waited for the starter to hit the button, I realized something.

I felt _fast_.

_Beep_.

In an instant, I was off the block, underwater, kicking fast. After six kicks, I took my first stroke.

It was sixteen strokes down to the other wall. I was holding my speed back a little more than Coach would have wanted me to, constantly reminding myself that this was a prelim. I didn't need to go all out. In fact, holding as much back as possible for the semis tonight was probably the best idea, just as Coach had said.

I hit wall dead on, exactly sixteen strokes, did a fast Texas turn, and rocketed off. Seven kicks off this wall, and I was swimming again. It was eighteen strokes to the other wall, maybe nineteen if I toned it down a bit and brought it back in the next fifty like I was supposed to.

I hit the wall right at nineteen, turned fast, and was gone in less than a second. One hundred meters done, one hundred to go, and I could tell that I was barely tapping into my energy.

Nineteen strokes to the wall, eighteen if I swam it just right. I had barely breathed at all the first hundred, but now my lungs burned. I took two fast breaths, my mouth barely clearing the water enough on both, just enough that I got oxygen.

I hit the wall squarely on eighteen strokes. I did the fastest Texas turn I could, shoved off the wall hard, kicking fats and strong under the water. I was barely tired, but I knew better than to kill myself now on the last lap of a two hundred when I would swim it again tonight if I could get my time down.

Instead, I gave the fifty as much power as I dared, coming home fast and hard.

I hit the timing pad hard, at full extension. I didn't glide into the wall or anything. I'd gotten my stroke count perfect on each wall, and hadn't done anything stupid.

I pulled my cap and goggles off, the exhaustion form the race finally hitting me. I rubbed my eyes tiredly, definitely ready to take a four hour nap before swimming again. I leaned against the wall for a moment, barely breathing hard, even if I was tired. it was mostly fatigue. Warm down would probably take care of that.

I dunked my head under water, waking up a bit before climbing out. They weren't doing dive-overs, and getting disqualified after a swim like that was not something I wasn't going to risk.

I pulled my jacket and my sweatpants on quickly, and shoved my earphones in. I wanted to warm down and go to sleep, before coming back and swimming again.

A couple of the other swimmers congratulated me as I walked around the pool deck. I nodded and told the same to them. Not knowing my time was going to eventually kill me.

"Edward!" Bella yelled. She wasn't that far away. I followed where I'd heard her voice, and she slammed into me, hugging me as tight as she could.

"That was incredible!" she yelled.

I hugged her back, barely listening to what she said next. All I was really focusing on was how close she was to me. I kissed her hair.

She laughed and pulled back. "I'm soaked!"

"That's what you get for attacking me before I've had a real chance to dry off!" I laughed right back. I loved teasing her, making her laugh even more.

"I swear to God, Edward, sometimes I don't know about-."

I kissed her again, this time on the mouth, shutting her up fast.

After a few minutes, I pulled back and asked, "You don't know what?"

I knew she had rolled her eyes. "Just go warm down!" She wasn't put up with me, just overly embarrassed. I could feel the heat coming off her cheeks as I kissed her again.

"What? You won't tell me my time?" I asked, innocently.

"Not unless you warm down."

"In that case, maybe I'll just stand her a little longer." I was joking. Warming down was important, and I was freezing, even in my sweats. The air was a lot colder than it had been after warm ups. I figured they had opened the vents or something. Chlorine gas could get to some people, and chlorine gas given off in a high concentration like at a swim meet wasn't good. They would probably have to open the vents just so people didn't end up having trouble breathing.

"Don't make me have you get a lactate test done."

I snorted. "Some threat. A little prick to your ear. Big deal." A lactate test was important after a big meet, as was drug testing.

"You have to get drug testing done, too. Might as well get one done while your over there." She told me sweetly.

I groaned. "Drug testing? Seriously?" Stupid national level meets…. I knew drug testing was important, but that still didn't mean I was willing to have it done. I was clean. I knew I was clean. I had no need for drugs of any sort. If I couldn't get something done by myself, drugs sure as hell wouldn't help.

"Hiding something?" Bella asked.

"Nope. I'm clean. I just find it highly annoying."

"It's necessary, though."

I nodded. "I know."

--

Twenty minutes, one perfectly clean drug test, and one higher than normal lactate test later, I was jumping in the pool for what I planned to be a long warm down. I wanted to stretch my muscles out, and get ready for tonight.

Mostly, though, I just wanted to be back in the water. Yeah, my lactate test had been higher than I had thought it would've been, so I was obviously way more tired than I thought I was, but I just wanted to be back in the water, swimming a long, easy, set, and basically just chilling out.

I swam countless laps, just stretching out my arms and cooling my muscles off after that race, my mind wandering everywhere, mostly focusing on my race, though. I could tell I had gone faster than a two oh two. I'd had to have. That race had felt so much faster than my race had been back at the disability meet, even if I hadn't gone as fast as I could have.

I climbed out after what I assumed to be twenty minutes. Bella handed me a towel, and I sat down on the pool deck behind the block, yawning.

"Wanna know your time?" she asked. I knew she was probably taunting me, pleased to know she had one upped me.

I nodded. "Can I have my water bottle first?"

She handed it to me. I drained the entire thing in a couple of gulps.

"Better?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Much." I yawned again. "What was my time?"

"A one fifty three oh seven," she told me.

My heart skipped a couple of beats. "Seriously? A one fifty three? But that's-."

"Only a second off the old world record? I know."

"_Old_ world record?"

"Phelps beat his old record by about a second." She told be quietly. "But you still have the second fastest time in the field."

I nodded. Two seconds… I knew that if I had given the race all I had, I could've beaten it. But I also knew I had swum the race smartly, holding my energy for tonight, instead of blowing it all now.

I rubbed my eyes. "I am so ready to crash."

Bella laughed. "I can tell. Hurry up and pull your sweats on, then. Don't crash on the pool deck."

I nodded and pulled my jacket and sweats on.

"I've got your backpack, don't worry." She told me.

I nodded. "C'mon."

She took my hand. "your fly looked awesome. You definitely had the best technique."

I smiled. "After all that fly you had me swim? I should hope I do."

"It wasn't that much!"

"I was kidding! I swear you can't take a joke."

"Can too!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, okay, if you say so."

"I can too take a joke… just not that often. You mess with me too much."

"I do?" okay, I knew I joked around with her a lot but still… it was mostly so I could hear her laugh.

"Yeah. Like, all the time."

"I'm sorry. Honestly, I am. I'll lay off."

"No! You don't have to! Just…."

"Just…?" I asked.

"I don't even know. See now you have me all confused. I can't even remember what I was going to say."

"I confuse you?"

She laughed halfheartedly. "More like dazzle. I forget half the stuff I'm going to say around you, and end up going along with our pathetic arguments."

I laughed. "Dazzle? Really? That's a new one." I felt the same way about her, though. Especially lately, I felt… like the time I spent with her wasn't enough, would never be enough.

"Excuse me for my lack of colorful vocabulary. My mind sorta blanked on that one."

I laughed. "It's fine… I like it. It's definitely different."

The annoying screaming of the crowd diminished as Bella and I walked upstairs to the lobby.

"Where's Coach?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, he's down in the stands, talking to a bunch of other coaches, of course. He promised to meet me up here but I don't see him anywhere."

Figures. Coach was probably examining every other swimmer's practice schedule, and setting up four year's worth of sets and workouts.

"Edward! Bella!" I heard Alice call from across the lobby.

"c'mon, before your sister attacks us."

"Alice isn't deadly. Just… a little insane."

Bella laughed again. "Too right you are."

"That was great. Your stroke looked awesome! And your turns were really fast. I couldn't believe how fast your fly looked. That second fifty could've gone a lot faster, though. If you had put a little bit more speed out I bet you could've dropped more time than what you did." Alice told me. Even if she had only swum for a couple of years, she still remembered everything. She was probably the only one in my family who had really ever understood exactly what I was saying when I went into full swimming mode. Normally Emmett would say that nobody cared and my parents would just zone me out. Not exactly the best possible circumstances.

"Alice, do you forget that I have to swim this again tonight?"

"No… I still think you could've gone faster!"

"What, nine seconds isn't enough now?" I asked.

"I guess it'll have to be." Alice sighed. "You looked tired."

I shrugged. "Yeah. I'm ready fro a good five hour nap before swimming again."

"That can be arranged." Bella promised.

I smiled. "Crashing in your room?"

"At least you'd get some time to sleep. I swear your roommate? He never shuts up."

I grinned. "I've noticed."

--

Bella, Alice and I were walking back to the hotel when-.

"Hey Edward! Wait up!"

I groaned. "Are you fricking kidding me?"

"What's Tanya doing here?" Alice asked, lost.

"Long story," I muttered.

"Whatever."

Tanya wrapped her arms around her waist from behind me. "That was an awesome swim." She told me.

I pulled her hands away from me. "Stop, Tanya."

I could tell from her voice she was pretending to pout. "Why should I?"

"Cause I have a girlfriend."

"Yeah, whatever. Did you like my article? I thought it put things in perspective."

"It put a lot of things in perspective," I muttered. "Like the top five reasons why I can't stand you."

"God, Eddie. Why the cold shoulder? What'd I ever do to you?"

"Ruin my life. Repeatedly. Get lost. Now." I hissed.

"Aw, c'mon. I gotta have another article done by tomorrow. Just one quick Q&A?"

"No." I answered quickly.

"Why not?"

"I think you've done enough damage. Why don't you go ruin somebody else's life now?" Bella retorted sharply.

She grabbed my hand and dragged me away fast.

"Thanks," I managed to say.

"No problem. I swear, if I ever have to see her one more time, your gonna need to hold me back."

I nodded. "I'll remember that."

"C'mon," Alice chirped. "Edward, your exhausted, and Bella you don't look much better. You guys need to get some sleep in before tonight."

I nodded. "Alice is right, we do."

"Yeah I guess."

We walked with Alice all the way back to the hotel.

--

I woke up, feeling refreshed and energized, definitely ready to kick serious ass in the semis.

Bella was still asleep next to me- I could hear her breathing, slow and even. I'd fallen asleep talking to her. I assumed she had fallen asleep after I had.

I rolled closer to her. I could smell her strawberry shampoo, mixed with the scent of chlorine from spending so much time at the pool.

My watch went off, beeping four times. I groaned. I had four hours till the semis started tonight at eight, and an hour till I had to meet Coach at the pool.

I tried to fall back asleep for a couple of minutes, but only succeeded in waking myself up even more.

Around four thirty, I could hear Bella wake up.

"Edward?" she asked sleepily.

"Hmm?" I asked.

"What time is it?" she curled up closer to me.

"Like, four thirty."

"Ugh," she groaned, rolling away from me. "Time to get up."

I nodded, and rolled off her bed. "Unfortunately."

"Go get ready, then," I heard her yawn. "I'll be downstairs in ten minutes."

I nodded. I'd dropped my backpack somewhere by the door earlier. I quickly retrieved it and went downstairs to my room, grabbing a dry race suit and changing into a pair of warm ups and a Speedo.

A couple minutes later, there was a knock at my door.

"Ready?" I heard Bella call.

"I went outside to meet her. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Good." She took my hand and squeezed it softly. "you're going to do great tonight. I can feel it."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Alice coming?"

"She said she was going to be there later. Right now, she's IMing Jasper on her laptop."

I laughed. "That is so Alice."

Bella laughed. "You're telling me."

We got to the Qwest center with plenty of time to spare.

Warm up was much the same as it was this morning, a little more than two thousand meters, just enough to get my muscles working just right. Coach didn't want to over do it, and he seemed to have relaxed a bit after this morning.

I ate a quick sandwich in the ready room before I changed around seven thirty. I was tense, way tenser than I had been this morning, and both Bella and Coach were starting to notice.

Around seven forty-five, just fifteen minutes before the meet was set to start, I could actually tell how nervous and jumpy the both of them were. I figured they were feeding off of me.

"You ready?" Bella asked me quietly.

I nodded. "Yeah, I am, actually."

"Don't murder yourself out there, you hear me?" Coach stated. "You have to swim a four hundred I.M. tomorrow morning. This is just the semis. Go fast enough that you make it into the top eight, but don't go faster than you think you should."

I nodded. "Got it, Coach."

He clapped me on the shoulder. "I'll be watching. Make me proud, kiddo." I nodded, and heard the door open and close as he left.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Seven fifty five."

I nodded. That explains why Coach had left. Normally he would've waited till the meet was right about to start and the officials were running him out. But, with the stands full as I could only imagine they'd be, he'd probably left to grab a real seat.

My race was set to go off at seven-eleven, five minutes after the first heat. Just enough time that the news broadcasters could cover the first heat and get themselves ready for the next one.

I pulled my cap on, and my goggles, and even my second cap. This was going to be on primetime, based on Eastern Standard Time. They weren't going to delay the race just because one swimmer needed to get his cap on.

I stretched my shoulders out a little longer than I normally would have before walking with Bella out onto the deck.

I was in lane five, again, right where I preferred to be. A little on the outside, but still one of the fastest swimmers in the heat.

Bella left me behind my lane. I kicked off my crocs for the second time, shrugged off my track jacket, and my warm ups.

I stretched my shoulders again, calming myself down in the process.

About a minute later, the starter was announcing our heat, and the official blew the whistle signaling us to climb up onto the blocks. I shoved my goggles into my eyes, and took my mark as soon as the starter said to do so.

_Beep_.

I shoved off the block hard. I planned to race this the exact same way I had this morning, but giving it a little more speed.

Six fast underwater kicks and I started my stroke, keeping my thumbs down and pulling as much water as I could.

I hit the wall at sixteen strokes, with a full extension, did a quick, fast Texas turn. I was off the wall as fast as I could, kicking hard and fast underwater. I started my stroke, again planning to lay back this fifty just a little bit, saving my speed for the last hundred meters.

I hit the wall at seventeen strokes instead of eighteen or nineteen. I was a little thrown off, but I turned fast, trying not to let the messed up count get to me.

Eight fast dolphin kicks, and I was back at the top of the water, stroking hard and fast. I hit the wall perfectly at eighteen strokes, turned fast and hard and was gone.

Last fifty meters of the race, and I poured as much speed as I could into it, without absolutely murdering myself. I still needed some speed for tomorrow's races too, but I knew I had just enough in me that I might be able to out touch the rest of the competition.

I slammed my hands into the timing pad, my last stroke cut short by the wall.

I leaned against the wall and the lane line, breathing hard. I was tired, and God did my shoulders hurt.

I may have over done it just a little bit.

I pulled my caps and goggles off, and tossed them on the deck before climbing out myself.

I grabbed my jacket off the chair, and pulled it on, suppressing a shiver. The air seemed so _cold_ compared to the water, and the water wasn't that warm, either.

"Hey," a guy asked. "It's Edward, right?"

I nodded, pulling my warm ups on.

"That was a great swim. I couldn't believe it when you passes me at the third wall." The guy kept on. "You are one heck of a swimmer."

"Thanks," I told him.

"Oh, sorry." The guy continued. "I'm Jonathon. I swam in lane six."

I nodded. "Didn't you swim in the same heat as me this morning, too?" Coach had read of the names of my only real competition this morning, and their times.

"Yeah, I did. You were great then, too. You have a real knack for butterfly."

I grinned. "Thanks. Your times were incredible this morning. I had my coach tell them to me."

I could tell he was grinning a little. "Nah, not as good as yours were."

I shrugged. "I haven't swum in a meet in months. Guess I had to knock some time off."

"Getting a one fifty two in the semis is great though."

"I went a one fifty two?" I asked. That was second faster than I had this morning, and I'd been trying a lot harder… then again dropping a second in a two hundred fly was hard, especially when it was the second two hundred fly you've swum that day.

"Yeah. Anyway, man. That was a great race." He shook my hand, and I heard him walk away.

I slipped my crocs back on and walked around the pool deck until I heard Bella screaming my name and running into me.

"Oh. My God! Edward that was the best your fly has ever looked! I swear to God, that was amazing!" I don't think I've ever heard Bella this pumped up and overly bubbly.

"Hey, Cullen. That was a great race."

I swallowed hard. "Fyne, what are you doing on deck? Spectators are supposed to remain in the stands."

"Shut up, Cullen. Someone had to provide some real competition during that race." Fyne, swimming a two hundred fly? Had the world gone freaking mad?

"Since when do you swim a two hundred fly?"

"Since I was thirteen."

Of course. The same time I had set my first Paralympic record in it.

"Haven't you ever tried to do your own thing? Do you always have to follow everything I do? Cause, you doing that is only going to result in being second best at everything."

Fyne snorted. "Yeah, right. Like I'll ever be second best. Your gonna be eating my bubbles tomorrow night, Cullen, cause it's gonna be me up there on that medal stand in London."

With that, I could hear him walk away.

"Edward," Bella mumbled softly, her small fingers prying at mine. "Edward, your going to start bleeding."

"Wha-?" I hadn't noticed that I'd clenched my fists, much less that my nails were digging into my skin enough that my palms could start bleeding.

"Edward, just… you have to learn how to ignore him. It's not going to do you any good letting him get to you." Bella grabbed at my hand. "I want you to get a lactate test done."

"Why?"

"You swam that race hard, Edward. I wanna know your lactate levels."

"Fine."

After drug testing, I had the lactate test done. My lactate level was high, higher than it was this morning.

"I want you to warm down for about half an hour." Bella told me. "Just swim. Alternate between free and breast, and don't go fast at all. Got it?"

I nodded. "Got it."

"I gotta find your coach."

She left me right behind a lane in the warm down pool. I quickly pulled my cap on and my goggles, before jumping in and starting a little bit of breaststroke.

My thoughts were racing, jumping form on concept to the next, before shuddering to a stop on the one thing that always bothered me most.

Dimitri Fyne.

The guy drove me insane, copied everything I did, and was arrogant about it, passing it off that he was the better one. My times were faster, they always had been, but he went around and acted like he was good at everything. It was starting to get annoying.

I hadn't swum on the same team as him in years, but my breaking a Paralympic world record at only thirteen had been turned into a big deal, even though I hadn't acted like it was one. He could've heard about it anywhere that I broke it in the two hundred fly, and of course in one of his desperate attempts to outshine me in everything, had started to swim it in meets.

And his time had to have been good to have made it into the top eight swimmers.

I highly doubted that he had actually beaten my one fifty three from this morning… but I'd still have to ask Bella or Coach about it.

After warm down, we went back to the hotel. It was only eight thirty, but I was ready to crash for a good twelve hours.

Even still, I pulled that old tape recorder out of one of my backpacks, and gave it a good, long, listen to.

**Phew. Okay, is seventeen and seven eighths enough of a redemption? Kidding, kidding. I actually had a lot of fun typing this chapter, and if I made it as long as I planned to, it'd be twenty five. But, I decided to put the two hundred fly finals and the four hundred I.M. in the same chapter, since I actually have a plan for a little bit of drama there. **

**I'll try to get the next chapter up Monday or Tuesday, before practice. Promise. If not, I'll see you guys Saturday. Later guys! Review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys. I hope you all liked the last chapter, and I hope you like this one. I promised a little bit of drama, and I'm gonna do my best without my editor's help. She just had to go and get grounded….**

Chapter Twenty One

I woke up the next morning hyped up and ready to swim. I had two races this morning, a four hundred I.M. and a hundred free. I wasn't too worried about either, actually. In fact, I was ready to do some serious swimming today.

The prelims for the hundred back were today, too. For once, Jordan had actually shut up. I could tell he was nervous. His times weren't exactly the best. I still hoped he made the team. When he wasn't driving me insane, he was pretty cool to hang around with.

I changed and hung around waiting for him. I'd told him he could come down to the pool with Bella and me.

We headed downstairs, and met up with Bella and Alice. Bella was silent as we all walked down to the Qwest center. Actually, all of us were. Even Alice wasn't her normal coffee-high-without-the-coffee self. It was slightly unsettling, actually.

I got in the water quickly for warm up, swimming a little under two thousand meters with out complaint. I had two hard races in the next three hours, one distance, one sprint. I didn't need to over do the warm up.

In the ready room, while we were eating breakfast, I found out why Bell had been so quiet.

"You'll never believe what I found this morning." She told me quietly. The tone of her voice suggested it might not be a good thing.

"Oh, God." I groaned. "An article from Tanya?"

"You got half of it right." I knew she was smiling. "It's an article, yes, but it's not one of Tanya's."

"Good or bad?" I asked.

"A little bit of both, but mostly good."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, taking a bite out of my bagel.

"Just that it depends on how you wanna take it. It could be good or bad, but it definitely puts you in the spotlight."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" I repeated.

"Just that it goes into a lot of detail about you… of course, it's mostly things about yesterday's race and it goes into a little detail about your Paralympic records and all."

I nodded. "Hold off on it just a little while, all right?" I asked. As long as there wasn't any slander in it, I didn't need to hear about it right before a race.

"That's fine. I just thought you should know."

I nodded. "Thanks. Promise me that if anymore of Tanya's crap hits the streets, you'll tell me."

"That's an easy promise to keep."

As soon as I was done eating, I was on the ground stretching out. As I bent my knee to do a hurdle stretch, I noticed how it flared up sharply with pain. Of course, it hadn't given me any trouble yesterday, but it would today.

"Bella, can you hand me some of the sports tape in my bag?" I asked.

"Your knee?" she asked sympathetically, handing me a roll.

All I had to do was nod.

"Was your knee bothering you at all yesterday?" Coach asked. I had a four hundred I.M. to swim, and a hundred meters of that was breaststroke… and breaststroke hurts the knees.

I shook my head. "I was fine. I didn't even notice that it was hurting till I tried to do a hurdle stretch."

I assumed Coach nodded in the silence that followed. "Just keep and eye on it," he finally said. "I don't want you to scratch form that four hundred, but I don't want you to do something that'll mess with that old injury."

I nodded. "Got it, Coach." I still hadn't been able to figure out how falling down a flight of stairs had messed up my knee so badly, but it had, and now I was stuck with an injury that wasn't going away.

"I'm serious. If anything happens during your breaststroke leg tonight, you're getting scratched. Your two hundred I.M. has always been better than your four hundred, so can try to get on the team for that. I'm not going to have you mess with that injury and possibly end your swimming career now. You're too good a swimmer for that."

"Coach, nothing is gonna keep me out of the water for this race, not even an injury."

"Somehow, I knew you were going to say that. Just play it safe out there, kiddo. You have plenty of other shots to make the team. It's not like this is your last shot."

I nodded. "I know, Coach."

"Than use your head during that race today. Go out fast in your fly, tone in down in the back, bring it back as much as you dare during the breast, and give it all you can during the free." This had been my race strategy in the fly too, toning it down in the second leg and bringing it back in the third. It was a strategy that had worked well for as long as I could remember, even when I swam in Chicago and my coaches hadn't cared less who'd dropped time and who'd gained. It played to my strengths, and it was a good way to save energy to have a fast second have of the race.

With that, Coach left me to change into my suit and get ready to swim.

I was in the last heat for this event, with my four oh four flat, that put me in lane four. Not exactly where I wanted to be for the prelims. I'd rather be in lane five. Lane four meant you're the fastest in the heat, and being in the last heat meant I was the fastest in the field. That was a lot of pressure for the prelims. I could handle it when the field was smaller, when I didn't have a lot of competition, but with a field of more than eighty swimmers, even If I was only swimming against the top seven swimmers with the top seeded times, it was unnerving to know I had the fastest time.

At least in lane five, I would be the second fastest. Not much of a pressure relief, but better than lane four. Then again… lane four meant that you wouldn't have to deal with the wakes of the other swimmers if you could get ahead.

I listened to my iPod until ten minutes before my race. I jammed my cap on, my goggles and my second cap before turning my iPod back on.

I was zoned out and completely focused, ready to swim the race ahead of me. My knee was taped up as tightly as I could, and still move it; my head was completely in the race. I had every last detail down. All I needed now was to swim it.

I walked with Bella out onto the deck, and to my lane.

She gave me a quick kiss before vanishing.

As the second to last heat went off, I kicked my shoes off and my sweats, pulling off my sweatshirt and stopping my iPod. I stretched my shoulders out the same way I did before a fly race, and did a little bit of arm circles to get them used to the freestyle and backstroke motions.

The race was finished faster than I thought it would be, and the next thing I knew, I was climbing up onto the block, pressing my fingers against my goggles one last time before leaning on my knee, waiting, muscles tense, and ready, for the starter to tell us to take our marks.

The starter finally gave us the instruction, and I grasped the block, ready waiting.

_Beep_.

I was off the block in a heartbeat, underwater, waiting just long enough to start kicking. I was glad no one had false started, or that the starter hadn't told us to stand up. I had been ready to go off that block at the slightest inclination of noise, and I didn't need to be disqualified.

I broke out in fast, powerful butterfly, building off my momentum from the block, trying my best not to go too fast and waist precious energy that would be vital in the laps to come.

I hit the wall at exactly sixteen strokes, turned and took off fast. It was harder to build off the momentum from a wall than a block, but I still used to for speed.

It was supposed to be seventeen or eighteen strokes to the other wall, nineteen even, if I had toned the speed down.

I hit the wall squarely at sixteen strokes.

I turned fast, not letting the shortened stroke count get to me. I had to swim a fast hundred back, but still slow enough that I saved my energy.

I swam right next to the lane line. I could feel my shoulder brush it ever couple of strokes. That emant I was swimming down the center of the lane, which mean it looked like I was circle swimming, which ended up adding time, but it also meant that I actually had a clue as to where I was in the lane.

Twenty six strokes, roll over, freestyle stroke and… flip. I hit the wall squarely, pleased that my turn hadn't ended up being too tight.

I shot off the wall, kicking underwater before starting my stroke. I could actually feel that I was holding back. My backstroke wasn't as fast as I knew it could be.

But I also knew Coach was right. I had another two hundred left to swim, not to mention the next prelim I had to swim, the finals, and the semis tonight.

Twenty seven strokes and I hit the wall with my right hand, just the way I had planned to.

I was off that wall fast to, taking a quick dolphin kick before starting my underwater pullout. The pullout didn't hurt my knee, but there was no way I was using just that to guage how much of a pain it was going to be.

I took a fast pull, remembering exactly how to do Kitajima style breaststroke, with an extra glide in between the stroke and the kick.

Half way through the fifty, my knee started to twinge a little, but the pain went away fast, and after a few more strokes, I'd hit the wall, done a fast turn, and was gone.

The second lap of breaststroke was much like the first, except I added a little bit of real speed to it once it became apparent that my knee wasn't going to bother me anymore.

I did a fast turn from breast to free, and took off the exact way I had planned in my mind- fast, but still holding as much as I could back.

Twenty four strokes to the other wall, flip… I hit the wall weird, but I still had enough momentum that I managed to get off fast and start my freestyle again.

I hit the other wall just hard enough to trigger the touch pad, before pulling my caps and goggles off and dropping them on the deck.

I could tell I had gone just a little too fast during the race. There was no way that if I had swum that the way I had planned, I'd be this frickin tired. Especially not after the eleven hours of sleep I'd managed to get.

Okay, so maybe it was possible that I could have gone out like that and be way more tired. it still felt weird to be this tired after I had had all that energy.

And I still had a hundred free to swim.

I climbed out, careful not to put too much pressure on my messed up knee as pulled myself up against the wall. It was still acting up a bit.

I pulled my sweats back on, and my shoes, making sure I still had my iPod.

I walked around the deck. I'd become accustomed to where Bella would meet me. It was a shorter walk than it was from lane four than it was from lane five, but I still knew where.

And of course, it wasn't that hard to hear her screaming.

I couldn't stop laughing, actually. Bella was normally quiet, mostly talking to me as she'd once told me. Actually hearing her scream was rare.

Then again, her hugging me definitely wasn't. in fact, I looked forward to it every time she did.

And when she wrapped her arms around me again, it was nothing new. I buried my face in her hair.

"Edward, that was… I don't even think there's a word to express it!"

I laughed. "Incredible?"

I took her hand and she walked with me to the warm down pool. A wuick three hundred, about ten minutes off, and then it was back up on the blocks for my second race.

"Nah, I think incredible may be this word's third cousin or something. This word is way too good to be related to that."

I laughed. "You've got me there. Tell me if you figure it out."

"I will."

"Hey, what was my time?" I asked.

"warm down and I'll tell you." Oh god, that again. I was starting to see a pattern now.

I smiled, nonetheless, before putting my cap and goggles on and pulling off my sweats again. There wasn't time for a lactate test, and they would just have to wait for a drug test. 'Sides, if I really was on steroids, they would definitely still be in my system in half an hour.

I finished my warm down as slow as I could and still have been quick about it. I didn't bother to go back to the ready room. Instead, I just chilled out next to the warm down pool, talking to Bella and listening to music. She never did tell me my time though. Oh well, I'd get it from either Coach or Alice if she wasn't going to tell me.

After ten minutes, I was behind lane three, getting ready to swim my hundred free.

My free time, for lack of a better word, sucked. I didn't plan to make the top two, or even the top four. All I need to do was make a decent impression, and I'd (hopefully) be on the prelims relay team. And if the finals relay team got a medal, all the members of the prelims got one too.

That was all I needed, to place in the top eight. Making it to the finals was the way to do that.

I pulled my caps on and my goggles. I was in the tenth heat, seeded in the top twenty four. I had a fifty four, definitely not one of the best times going in, but I knew I could drop about a second if I swam the race just right.

The starter announced the heat, and the official blew the whistle. I climbed up on the block, and took my mark.

The starter hit the button, and I was gone, off the block as fast as I could. I stayed under water, kicking hard and fast, before coming up and sprinting.

It was a two lap race, and going out as fast as I dared was pretty dang fast, or at least, it seemed that way. Maybe it was because I had had to pace myself in the last race, and this one I could get aggressive.

I flipped hard, shoved off the wall, and was kicking once more.

It was twenty five strokes to the other wall, and I was going as fast as I was going to try without tapping into the energy I had saved up. This was a prelim. All I was trying to do was make it into the top sixteen, not break the world record.

I toned it down a bit in the last twenty five meters, still bringing it home strong, but not enough that I'd be a walking zombie for the rest of the day.

I hit the timing board hard, pulled my caps and goggles off, and dunked my head underwater. After warm down, I could go back to the hotel and sleep. That's all I wanted right now… well actually, I wanted Bella to hug me again, but crashing in her room with her sleeping next to me again sounded good, too.

I climbed out quickly before the next heat went off grabbed my sweats, not even bothering to put them on, and grabbed my shoes before walking around the pool deck.

Right where I always met her, there was Bella. She hugged me again, and got soaked in doing so.

We walked to drug testing and a lactate test, before walking to the warm down pool. I didn't even bother to ask for my time. I knew she'd say that she give it to me after I warmed down.

I stretched out my arms during warm down, swimming everything; even a little one armed fly just to make sure my arms knew they weren't done yet.

I put my sweats on, and walked with Bella upstairs. Coach had promised to meet us in the lobby today.

"Now will you tell me my time?" I finally asked.

"You went a fifty three in your hundred." she told me brightly. "and placed fourteenth in the top sixteen."

"I meant my four hundred." I was glad to know I had placed in the top sixteen, though.

I knew she was trying hard to torment me. Finally, she said. "How does a world record sound?"

--

I woke up in Bella's room again, her head lying on top of my chest. I knew she wasn't asleep this time though. Her breathing was off, not calm and even like it was when she was asleep, but the same way it was when she was awake, still long, but a little off. The distance in between each one was different.

All the same, it was comforting.

"What are you thinking about, love?" I asked softly, playing with a strand of her hair.

"Your race of course," she told me. "Kidding. That was great, though. You went just under the world record,. You barely broke it."

I sighed contently. "That's good, because I plan to lower it tonight."

"Go get ready, then. I'll be downstairs in a couple of minutes. Is Jordan gonna walk down to the Qwest center with us?"

I shook my head. "I think the semis for the hundred are tomorrow."

"Okay. I'll be down in a few."

I nodded, grabbed my backpack, and went downstairs to change and grab a clean towel and sweats.

I wondered where Alice was, actually. She hadn't met up with us at the Qwest center, and she hadn't been in her and Bella's room.

I seriously hoped she hadn't gotten a call from Emmett.

I heard knocking on my door. "C'mon Edward! Get your lazy butt out here!"

I rolled my yes, grabbed my backpack, and opened the door.

Apparently she had been about to knock again, because her fist bounced off my chest instead.

I laughed. I knew she was blushing. Even at a distance I could feel the heat pouring off her face.

"Let's just go," she mumbled.

I laughed again, and walked with her down the steps and out onto the sidewalk right as my watch beeped five times. The sun was shining brightly, and it felt weird wearing a jacket and sweatpants when it had to be about eighty degrees outside.

As we were walking to the Qwest center, I heard small, fast footsteps behind us, and louder, heavier ones following. I could only imagine what they could be. all the same, I listened as a little girl's voice cried out.

"Mommy! Mommy, its Edward Cullen."

The girl was young; I could tell from her voice. Maybe six or seven at the oldest.

"I see that, Lily. C'mon we have to get to the Qwest center now."

"Mommy, can we ask him to sign my shirt?"

"Lilly, he has to go swim. He has to get ready for his race."

"Please, please, please mommy? It's _Edward_."

"I know honey, but-."

I heard small, uneven, running footsteps behind me.

"Edward!" the little girl squealed. "Edward!"

I heard Bella stifle a laugh. I rolled my eyes, and turned around, kneeling on the ground so I would at least be able to be eye to eye with her, even if I couldn't see where her eyes were.

She ran right up to me, I could hear her uneven footsteps stop, and I could hear her breathing.

"Will you sign my shirt, Edward?" she asked politely, innocently. How could I say no to that?

"Of course. Do you have a pen?"

She pressed a pen into my hand.

"Turn around."

I placed one hand on her shoulder, holding her steady, and I carefully wrote my name as best I could with the other.

I straightened up, and asked Bella quietly, "it doesn't look bad, right?"

Bella laughed. "Of course not! Actually, I like your hand writing. It's much nicer than my crap job scrawl. at least yours is legible."

"Thank you, Edward!" the little girl squealed. She reminded me of Alice a little, when she was younger.

"Thank you, Edward," her mother told me. "she's been so excited to watch you swim. She's been a huge fan of the Paralympics for years and when she found out a Paralympic swimmer was actually going to compete at the Trials, Lily just got so excited. She wants to try to swim in the Paralympic trials when she gets older."

"What classification would she swim under?" I asked, curious.

"I'm not sure. I haven't really looked into it. She's partially paralyzed from the waist down, and swimming has been a huge help to helping her learn how to walk again. She's really not supposed to be out of her wheelchair but she saw you and ran," the woman laughed. "You've been a huge inspiration to her. Especially lately. She actually begged me to burn that one article written about you."

I grinned, slightly nervous. This girl was cute, and at only six pr seven years old, she already had a goal to swim in the Paralympics. That was amazing. It was just weird… to think of myself as someone's role model.

"Do you want to walk with us to the Qwest center?" Bella offered.

"That would be great," the woman smiled.

I learned a lot about Lily as we walked to the Qwest center. She was actually eight, had been swimming since before the car wreck that had left her unable to walk, and was obsessed with anything that had to do with Paralympic swimmers.

Lily was actually more of an inspiration to me. She was eight years old, had been in an accident more than four years ago, and was still so determined to reach her goals. I knew that if I had something like that happen to me at such a young age, I would've probably have committed suicide by the time I was her age. I just didn't think I could've acted the way she did.

Before we went our separate ways, I promised Lily that I would swim my best to lower the world record in the four hundred I.M. I knew the little girl would hold me to that promise.

I warmed up fast, Lily's incredible story still fresh in my mind. I ate a quick dinner in the ready room, and stretched out long, talking to Bella about it. She was just as amazed as I was.

I had to swim the final of the two hundred fly first. I could actually feel how tense I was, but I knew I was swimming this race, along with my four hundred, for Lily. She was trying her hardest to reach her goals, now I was going to try mine.

As I lined up behind my lane for the two hundred, I had only two things on my mind: making the team, and maybe, just maybe, beating Michael in the lane next to me, and Dimitri in the other.

Two insane things to do.

I climbed up onto the block, muscles tense and ready. I took my marks and….

_Beep_.

I was off the block and in the water fast, kicking powerfully fast kicks. This was a race that mattered. Right now, it was more important that I give this race my all and make the team than be energy and speed concerned.

I swam the first fifty perfectly, and the second fifty, too, exactly the way I had swam them yesterday. Except, as I hit the wall for the third fifty, I actually started to put on some speed.

I hit the opposite wall in sixteen strokes, a little unsettling. I still turned fast and was gone.

I could feel my fingertips brushing the lane line on one side, but I just went even faster, whipping my arms around fast, keeping my thumbs down, catching as much water as possible.

I drove it home hard that last fifty, especially the last ten meters, and when I hit the wall, I _knew_ that I had made the team. I just knew it.

I pulled my caps off, and leaned my head against the wall, a smile spreading across my lips. Hell, even if I hadn't made the team, I knew I had beaten my time.

I heard Dimitri in one lane, Michael in the other.

Dimitri was cursing me out. I took that to be a good thing. It meant that I had beaten him.

In the other lane, I heard Michael yelling happily. I took that to be another good thing. That meant he was on the team.

I leaned against the lane line that divided mine and Michael's lanes; I could hear him swimming over towards me.

"Great swim, man!" he yelled, grabbing my hand.

I said the same to him. I took that to mean we were both on the team.

I climbed out, grabbed my sweats, and managed to shove past a horde of news reporters trying to get an interview.

I met Bella in the same place as usual, but instead of simply hugging me, she kissed me, full on the mouth.

I kissed her back as long as I dared, but then I remembered I needed to know my time, and I seriously needed to warm down. I had a four hundred to swim in an hour.

I didn't bother to ask for my time until I'd climbed out and pulled my sweats on. I'd finally learned.

When she did tell me though, I almost collapsed.

"A one fifty one? Are you freaking serious?" I asked.

"You both went under the world record, Dimitri was right at the world record pace, but you and Michael both crushed him."

I grinned. "Shows him to mess with me."

"Your deal wasn't about the two hundred though." Bella reminded me. "it was about the one hundred, which he happens to have a really good time in."

I groaned. "You just killed my joy."

"Whatever, c'mon, you gotta go get ready."

I nodded, and walked with her back to the ready room.

I stretched out a bit, trying to get every muscle I could.

It seemed like that hour went by way too fast. The next thing I knew, I was lining up behind lane four for the second heat of the semis.

As I climbed up, I could tell something was off. It wasn't just the lasting tiredness from the two hundred. it was something else entirely.

As the starter announced the heat, and had us take our marks, I still couldn't figure it out.

He hit the button, and I took off.

My fly was fast, almost as fast as it had been earlier during my two hundred, definitely faster than it was during the prelims.

Hell, even my backstroke was going strong, my kick fast and powerful, my thighs burning a little from the strain.

As soon as I started my breaststroke though, I knew what was off.

My knee. All I had to do was start my underwater pullout, and I knew it. That one simple kick sent so much pain coursing through my body I could've screamed.

But I knew I had to keep swimming at race pace, or I'd never make the finals.

But I knew I could lay off the serious speed, keep my kicks tighter and maybe keep some of that pressure off my knee.

Yeah, like that ever works.

It was an agonizing hundred meters. The turn was probably the fastest part.

Freestyle was horrible, too. You use your entire leg to kick, and my knee felt like it was on fire. I felt like I was going to die, right then and there, from the pain.

I flipped hard, shoved off, and flat out sprinted. I didn't care about the pain; I didn't care about conserving energy. All I cared about right then, was getting to the wall.

I slammed into the timing board hard. Even when I wasn't swimming, my knee still felt like it was being ripped apart slowly.

I climbed out as soon as I was certain the race was finished, and accidentally knocked my knee against the wall.

The intense pain made my head swim, and I felt myself crash against the pool deck before the pain finally stopped.

--

The next thing I knew, I was lying on something soft, long, thin fingers running through my hair. They were way too long to me Alice and too long to be Belal's.

Then I recognized the touch. It was one that had comforted me so many times weh I was sick, or injured or just going through a hard time.

"Mom…?" I asked, completely bewildered.

**Okay, so how was that for drama? Anyway, it's late and I gotta get some sleep before my mum gets mad. Night guys, and you better review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys. The ending to the last chapter was really evil. I'm sorry, but my mum was screaming at me to get off the computer and go to bed, and you know how hard it is to come up with a better ending than that at ten thirty? Really hard. Hopefully, this chapter will be good, and I promise I'll put Lily in here somewhere.**

Chapter Twenty Two

"Mom?" I repeated, a little louder. Where the hell was I? The last thing I could remember was climbing out of the water at the end of my four hundred.

"Edward?" my mother whispered. "Edward!"

She wrapped her arms around me as best she could and crushed me in a hug. I tried to pull away to no avail.

"Mom!" I hissed. "I'm fine!"

I tried to sit up, to just do something, but as soon as I tried, I could feel my head swim and my stomach tighten.

I crashed back against the bed with a groan.

"What time is it?" I asked tiredly.

"About nine thirty," she told me quietly.

Nine thirty…? God damn, did I hope it was still at night. If it was nine thirty in the morning… wait, what did it matter? I didn't have to swim in any prelims till the twenty-eighth. I did have the finals for the four hundred on the twenty-six, but if it was nine-thirty in the morning on the twenty-six, I was still good.

All the same, I hope it was nine-thirty at night on the twenty-fifth. There was no way I wanted to swim another four hundred in ten hours. Hell, I didn't know if I could swim another four hundred in the next twenty-two, either.

"At night?" I asked, closing my eyes.

"Mhmm," my mother mumbled. "Edward, what happened?"

I groaned again. I was starting to feel the pain in my knee, and God, if I thought it was hurting during that four hundred, it was nothing compared to how it was hurting now.

"Hurt my knee," I finally mumbled.

"I think everyone in America was able to figure that out!" my mom laughed dryly. "Carlisle said you may have ripped one of the tendons holding your knee together. I just don't get how."

"Old injury," I yawned. "Dad's here?"

"Of course your father's here! Why wouldn't he be?"

I realized something then. "What are you doing here?" Stupid Emmett, I swear the next time I saw him he was going to get the chewing out of his life.

"You think Emmett can really distract us forever?" my mom asked. "He and Rose took us out to dinner that first night, but we still caught the highlights on T.V. when we got home. Just like that, we were on a plane, doing the best we could to get tickets to the Qwest center. Of course, the entire place was completely sold out, so we ended up watching it on T.V. when we saw you collapse after your four hundred… it was Nationals all over again."

I groaned. God, was my knee killing me. And, of course, she just had to bring up that horrible meet six months ago.

"Thanks mom," I muttered sarcastically. "I really needed to be reminded of that." She still hadn't answered my question. Why wasn't she chewing me out for swimming?

"I'm just glad your all right."

"Ugh. Not completely. You don't have any Advil, do you?" right now, I'd take anything to make the pain just stop. It hurt too God damn much.

"Um, yeah, I think I do." Thank God. I could remember to keep spare rolls of sports tape in my backpack, but never a bottle of painkillers.

As I sat up, this time without my head swimming, she handed me two small, round tablets and a bottle.

I popped the pain meds into my mouth, unscrewed the bottle cap, and drank as much as I could.

She took the bottle from me, and I lay back down. I was completely wiped out, that was for sure.

"Why aren't… aren't you mad?" I asked. I was worried that she and dad were gonna pull me out half way through the meet. There was no way I was going to let Fyne make it on the team in the hundred fly. Hell, the way I had that race planned, he wasn't even gonna make it to the semis.

"What? No, of course not!" my mom sounded astonished. "Why would I be mad?"

"I- but you- you and dad-," I was so confused. "I thought you guys didn't want me to swim anymore."

"Edward, we'd never want you to stop swimming. Ever. We saw what you went through with your parents, and when you started swimming, we also saw what a huge helped that had been. Swimming has been such a huge part of your life. We'd never want it to be taken way from you."

"But… Coach said… that he got a call… from you and dad… saying that you guys wanted me to stop swimming." I was having a hard time putting everything together. This was just so _weird_.

"And even at that moment, we hadn't." Wait, what? Okay, now I was seriously confused. She wasn't making any sense. "Aro had threatened that if we didn't make that call, several other things could have happened to you. Even your father didn't know what to say to that. So we made that call."

Of course, if all came back to Aro. "I'm gonna kill Dimitri."

"Edward!" my mom exclaimed. "You're not going to kill anybody!" she paused for a second. "Then again, I have nothing against you kicking his ass again. That was just precious to watch."

Oh god, I had made my mom cuss. I knew she was serious.

"I'll try mom." I buried my head deeper into the pillow. "What happened at the meet? After I… collapsed or whatever?" I was seriously worn out, but if it was still the twenty-fifth, that meant I had tons of time to sleep in the next morning.

My mom ran her fingers through my hair again. I could've fallen asleep right then, I was so out of it. I could feel the pain meds starting to work a bit, too. At least, my knee didn't seem to hurt as much as it had.

"I'm not sure, exactly," my mother said hesitantly. "You might want to ask Alice or Bella. They know. Your coach was in fits. It was pretty funny, actually."

I could just imagine it. Coach, about to have a heart attack, because I had passed out on the pool deck for the second time in six and a half months.

"Where is Bella?" I asked.

"Probably upstairs in her and Alice's room. She was in tears on the pool deck. I had Alice try to calm her down."

I nodded. That was just like my mom. "And the… rest of the meet?"

"Your event was the last one, and once your father had convinced the officials that he didn't need them to call an ambulance, and we had gotten you back here, it wasn't like they had to start the meet up again. Of course, it caused one hell of a uproar. Your coach is still in the lobby telling reporters to… go away."

I had a feeling I knew what she was about to say before changing her mind. Good. Any more Mom Cussing would be disturbing to the highest power.

"What do the reporters want?" I asked.

"Anything they can get, of course. An interview, a statement, anything and everything. They're just like vultures."

I grinned a little bit. Too right she was.

I reached up and rubbed my eyes tiredly. The entire night had beyond caught up with me. I'd be glad right now if I never had to swim another hundred breaststroke in my life.

"Get some sleep, honey," my mom whispered.

I nodded distantly, and in an instant of silence, was sound asleep.

--

When I woke up the next morning, it wasn't because I was ready to wake up.

It was because the god damn Advil just had to wear off.

I tried to ignore it, tried to drop off again fast, but the pain in my knee was torturous. Finally, I dragged myself out of bed right when my watch went off six times.

Okay, seriously? It was six in the _morning_? You had to be fricking kidding me.

I felt around on the bedside table, until I found the bottle of Advil. I ran my fingers quickly over the Braille labeling just to make sure. Yup. Advil.

I limped painfully to the bathroom, cupped my hand, and filled it with water before downing two more pain killers. I just felt so out of it. The only thing keeping me in sharp reality was the pain.

I went back to bed, curled up the best I could under the sheets, and dropped off again.

I woke up about three hours later. Someone was knocking on my door, not really loudly, but it was still enough to wake me up.

I moaned, rolled off my bed, and limped to the door. I threw it open, and leaned against the door jam tiredly.

"Hey, Edw- dude!" Bella gasped. "Oh, my God! C'mon you're going back to bed. You look horrible."

Bella helped me walk back to bed, letting me lean as much of my weight on her as she could take.

I collapsed against my bed, grabbed her hand at the last second, and pulled her down next to me.

She laughed mirthlessly. "What'd you do? Stay up all night?"

I shrugged. "I've been asleep since like ten last night. I woke up at six to take some painkillers, but that was it."

"You've got black circles under your eyes."

"Those could be from pushing my goggles into my face too hard."

"Good point."

I felt the bed move, assuming she sat up. "You want something to eat? I grabbed you breakfast."

I smiled. "Sounds good."

I sat up, and leaned against the headboard.

Bella sat back down next to me, and handed me a bagel.

I nodded in thanks and quickly bit into it.

"You always sleep in your bathing suit?" I knew she was joking, but she was right. I'd been so out of it last night, I hadn't realized I was sleeping in one of my Lazr Racers.

"Dammit," I muttered. These were expensive suits, the fastest in the world. Sleeping- hell, doing _anything_- in these suits except for competitive swimming could create serious drag.

"There goes this suit," I muttered.

"You still have your Razr, right?" Bella asked comfortingly.

I shrugged. "Yeah, but this was one of my better Lazrs. Ruining it is like, wrecking a bran new car."

"Ouch. There went all that money."

"Yup. I still had another three or four good races left in it, too."

I placed my bagel on my bedside table, slid off my bed, and grabbed a pair of boxers and pajama bottoms out of one of my backpacks.

I changed in the bathroom, threw the suit over one of the towel racks. This was part of Jordan and my deal- I had the bathroom for my swim gear, he had the balcony. That way, we didn't confuse our suits, and I didn't end up losing one of them trying to hang it and accidentally dropping it to the street below.

I limped slowly back to my bed, and fell against it. I was still tired. I wanted another couple of good hours of sleep before I had to swim that four hundred again tonight.

"Go back to sleep, Edward," Bella whispered, pulling a blanket up around me. "You need it."

"You'll get bored, though," I mumbled into my pillow.

She laughed. "I'll probably fall asleep right next to you. I don't find that boring at all."

I liked that idea.

I grabbed her arm, and pulled her down next to me, and buried my face in her hair instead of my pillow.

"Much better," I sighed, falling asleep once more.

--

I have no idea how long I slept for, but when I woke up, I actually felt refreshed and not as tired. If my knee wasn't bugging me so much, I would've been ready to go jump in the pool and lower that world record from yesterday morning.

Of course, my knee was probably going to screw that up.

I kept my arms wrapped tightly around Bella, holding her close. I knew she was probably awake. Her breathing was way too uneven to be asleep.

Finally, she shoved my arm off, laughing. "I think I get the point, you don't want me to move."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" I asked innocently. "You're right, I don't."

"How's your knee?"

"Ugh. I swear, I'm going to be so doped up on painkillers, it's going to register something in my drug test tonight."

"You're seriously going to swim?"

"Hell yeah I am. There's no way I'm going to pass up an opportunity to make it on the team in this event."

"You're an idiot, you know that? I think the chlorine fumes have finally gone to your head."

"Yeah, I know." I yawned. "But I finally realized you were right."

"Really? About what?"

"I really am fast enough to make this team, no matter who my competition is. I wanna try to make it in the four hundred, even if the only real competition is between my body and my knee."

"What do you mean?"

"The breaststroke leg is gone hurt," I told her. "It'll be more of a battle of my willpower than anything else. But I wanna swim this race. If I don't try, I'm never going to forgive myself for it."

"That is so like you," Bella curled up closer to me. "I'm glad though."

I sighed. "What time is it?"

"Two thirty. You've got a good two hours before we have to leave."

I nodded. "Good. I wanna talk to my dad."

"About…?"

"My knee. I wanna know if swimming breaststroke tonight is going to do anymore serious damage."

"I think they're staying in the room next to us."

I nodded. "Mmmkay."

"Aren't you hungry?" she asked after a couple of minutes.

"I'm starving, actually."

"Want me to go grab lunch while you talk to your dad?"

"That'd be great, actually."

"Mmkay."

I rolled off my bed, and garbed a t-shirt out of my bag. I wasn't gonna walk around with just a pair of pajama bottoms on, that's for sure.

"You are so slow on land, you know that?" Bella teased.

"I'm still half asleep."

"Yeah, whatever."

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon. Let's just go."

Bella and I walked down the hallway to the elevator, or rather, she walked, I trudged. Every step was sheer agony, and the sports tape still taped up around my knee wasn't helping at all.

I heard Bella punch something into a keypad. I assumed she was texting Alice or Emmett or someone.

She walked with me to my parents room, gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and walked away. I could hear her footsteps muffled on the carpet, heading back the way we came.

I knocked lightly on the door.

Barely a minute later, I hear it fly open, and a heavy body crushing me!

"Eddie!" Emmett yelled. "Hey mom! It's pool boy!"

I groaned. "Get off of me, Emmett."

"Emmett, let your brother go before you break his ribs." I knew my mom was trying hard not to laugh.

Emmett released me. I rubbed my side. "Gee, thanks mom. One more minute like that, and I'd be dead."

My mom laughed, and in the distance, my dad did too. "See, Emmett? There's such thing as being too strong!" my dad called.

"Nuh huh, dad! I didn't break his ribs! I just… bruised 'em!"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, Emmett. If I start having trouble breathing tonight, I know who to blame."

"What? Is it a sin to be excited to see my little brother who we all thought died last night?"

"Emmett!" my mother scolded sharply. "That's enough!"

"Its fine, mom," I mumbled. "I don't care."

My mom made me sit down in the living room, saying I shouldn't be standing up too long. I kinda had to agree. My knee was starting to fricking throb.

"Hey dad," I said slowly. "I got a question."

"What's wrong, Edward?" my dad asked seriously.

"Nothing! I just wanna know." I answered as honestly as possible. Okay, so my knee was killing me, which wasn't exactly considered nothing, but I also knew that there wasn't anything that was going to make the pain stop. "Is swimming that four hundred tonight gonna do a lot more damage to my knee?"

My dad was silent for a moment, before finally answering. "I'm sorry to say this, son, but it most likely will. The breaststroke, especially, is going to put a lot of strain on it, especially your MCL and your LCL."

I groaned. "Seriously?"

"Unfortunately. I mean if it wasn't the Olympic Trials, I would suggest you stay out of the water for a month and just give your knee time to heal."

"But…?" I asked.

"Since this is the biggest meet you've ever swum at… and it's the Olympics we're talking about…" he wasn't a doctor anymore, just my crazy dad. "I suggest you keep your knee braced up tight, and take plenty of pain meds till the week is over."

"What about after the meet?" I asked. "I'm on the team, and all the team members have to go to these two training camps. One in California and one in England before the Games start in August. If I stay out of the water for a month, there's no way I'll be ready to swim in London."

My father was silent for a moment. "There are surgeries to repair those ligaments, but… there's no possible way that we could get a surgery set up with out an MRI and X-rays. When do these training camps start?"

"Next week."

"Then there's definitely no chance of getting a surgery set up." My dad was thinking. "Even though I really don't think you should be swimming, I know there's no way to stop you. When you're not in the water, keep your knee in a brace. When you have to swim, keep it taped up with sports tape. Ice it as often as you can to keep the swelling down, but not for too long or you'll numb the nerves."

I nodded. Basic therapy for sports injuries. He'd told me to do this a million times, and it'd always worked pretty well. I still figured it wasn't going to work as greta this time around, though.

"What do you think I did to it?"

"You said this was an old injury, right?" my dad asked. I figured my mom had told him about what I'd said last night.

"Yeah, like two months old."

"That's not very old, Edward," my father said disapprovingly. "That's still pretty fresh."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, dad, enough with the third degree."

"What did you do to the last time you injured it."

"I dunno. I may have sprained it or dislocated it."

"How the hell did you do that?" my dad asked.

"Fell down a flight of stairs."

"Edward!" my dad exclaimed.

"What? It wasn't my fault!"

"Okay, sure. Well, you may have torn the ligaments during breaststroke."

"But it felt off last night when I climbed up on the block. It wasn't like I just randomly did it during my race."

"You still may have managed to tear the ligaments putting it through the strain of swimming breaststroke. It may have felt a little off, but then putting it through the pressure you did just caused the tendons to rip."

"That would explain the intense pain."

"It explains a lot of things, actually."

"You really think I tore those two ligaments?"

"It's extremely possible. I didn't get a good look at how swollen it was last night."

"Trust me, it's pretty bad." I hadn't done my sports tape too tight yesterday, but it felt like it was too contrasting.

"What do you mean?"

"My sports tape, it's really tight."

"Then unwrap it!" my dad hissed. "You should have it in a knee brace, son! Not have it wrapped up in sports tape!"

"Sorry!" I hissed right back. "I only just noticed it."

I knew my dad was probably shaking his head. "Untape it now. I think I may have a knee brace in my bag."

"You carry a knee brace around with you?"

"With a son like you, I carry a lot of things around with me to treat injuries."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever dad. I'm not that injury-prone."

"Explain you writ, you nearly drowning, you passing out last night, and injuring your knee. Twice."

"Freak accidents."

"All in the past six and a half months? I don't think so."

I finished pulling the tape off my knee. Every time my fingers brushed against the skin, I had to bite back a yelp of pain. God, did it hurt.

"Dear Lord, son!" my dad nearly shouted.

"What?"

I knew he was shaking his head again.

"I think that's the most swollen I've ever seen a single injury. Are you sure you didn't accidentally _crush _your knee?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, dad. I'm sure."

My dad's cold fingers brushed the skin. I bit my lower lip hard, trying not to yell. But _God_ did it fricking _hurt_. He was barely even touching my knee!

He pressed down gently, and I yelped.

"Sorry," he muttered, but he didn't relive the pressure.

I closed my eyes, and leaned back into the couch. The pain wasn't going away, and I was fighting another yell building up in my throat.

He moved his fingers across the skin. I yelled a couple of times. The pain was bad enough without him trying to add more.

Finally, he pulled his hand away. "You really screwed it up, you know that?"

"You can tell that from just touching it?"

"And looking. It's seriously swollen."

"You don't think I should swim tonight."

"Your right, I don't." my dad sighed. "But I also know there's no changing your mind once it's made up. You can swim; just keep ice on it until you get in the water. And I'm giving you a knee brace that I want on it until you get in the pool, unless you have sports tape on it. If you fall asleep with sport tape on it again, I'll knock you side the head for being an idiot." I knew he was joking about the last part, but he was dead serious about not falling asleep with sports tape on.

"What's wrong with sports tape?" I asked, curious.

"Nothing. It's great for sports, but trust me, I want your knee in a brace, so all the mobility is decreased. Sports tape allows it to move, and I don't want you moving it at all, save for swimming, and even that I'm not too happy with. If I had it my way, you be in a surgery brace and on crutches."

"You'd have to get me to the hospital before I let that happen."

"Too right you are on that."

My dad pressed a box into my hands. "The knee brace is in here. I suggest you keep it on during warm up, and not wrap your knee up with tape until right before you four hundred."

I nodded. "Thanks, dad."

"No problem son," he clapped me on the shoulder. "Knock 'em dead out there tonight."

I nodded, and left my parents room to head back downstairs and get ready.

--

"Edward!"

I knew it was Lily. Bella and I were walking/hobbling down the stairs to the lobby. I was wearing shorts- sweats or warm up pants felt so weird with the knee brace on- and I knew she could probably see the thick brace on my knee.

"Edward, what happened last night?" she asked sweetly, running over and hugging my good leg. "You scared me!"

"He scared all of us, sweetie," Bella told her gently. "But he's okay now."

"Is that true? Are you okay Edward?"

"Yeah, Lily, I'm okay." I smiled gently at her. "Better than okay, actually. I'm ready to race."

"Are you gonna set a new world record tonight?" she asked excitedly. I could hear her jump up and down.

"You bet I am, kiddo."

"Good," her voice was dead serious. "I'm gonna hold you to that."

I laughed. "Where's your mom? I wanna talk to her."

"She's talking to my daddy. Don't you have to get to the pool?"

I nodded. "I do, kiddo. Will you be there?"

"Yup! I wanna watch you break the record again!"

I laughed. "Okay, kiddo. I gotta go warm up. I'll see you there, okay?" I ignored the horrible wording of the statement, gave the little girl a quick hug, said good-bye and walked with Bella outside.

"That was sweet. She really loves you." Bella told me.

"She's cute," I replied.

"You should've seen the shirt she was wearing. It said team Edward on it."

I laughed lightly. "Media trying to play it up a bit?"

"Nah, it was homemade, it was so adorable, though."

I laughed. "Sounds like it."

"She's really cute, Edward. The way she's obsessed with you, I mean." Bella laughed.

"Yeah, she is," it was still weird to think of myself as a little eight year old's role model.

We got to the pool, dropped my stuff in a ready room, and headed over to a lane to warm up.

It was so weird warming up with the brace on. It felt weird to kick with it, and Coach got fed up fast. He tried to get me to use paddles to speed things up a bit. I didn't go along with it, though. I was going to warm up the same way I always did, even if it was with a really thick and heavy, water-logged knee brace on.

I ate dinner in the ready room again, and stretched out, trying hard not to murder my self.

"Swim fast, all right, Edward? If your knee starts to really bother you during the event, just take it easy and don't worry about your time. I just want you to finish the race. Swim this race the way you always do. Get a good, strong lead on the fly. But instead of dropping back on the backstroke, go out strong, and tone it done in the breaststroke. I don't want you doing anymore damage to your knee. Give it all you cqan during the freestyle." Coach said before had to go upstairs to the stands to take his seat (stupid rules…)

I nodded. "Got it, Coach. I'll try."

Bella went outside for a few minutes, before coming back in.

"Do you want me to tape up you knee?"

I nodded tiredly, sat down on the massage table, and let her undo the Velcro straps on the brace, and carefully take it off. She was gentle, and she was careful not to touch my skin too much.

She wrapped my knee up tightly, but I could still bend it… or at least, bend it as much as the swelling would allow.

I changed into my suit once she was done taping up my knee, and sat back down on the massage table.

I heard her sit down next to me.

"What wrong, Edward?"

"Everything."

"What do you mean?"

"I… I don't think I can do this." I mumbled. "I dunno if I can swim the four hundred."

"Why not?" she asked.

"I just… so much is against me. I don't think I can swim it."

"Oh, Edward. I don't care if you don't make the team. I just want you to go out there and swim your best. If you make the team with your messed up knee, than that's awesome, but if you don't make the team, I'm not going to be mad at you, your coach isn't gonna be mad at you, your family won't be mad at you. I bet even Lily won't be mad at you. She'll understand."

I sighed. "I know. I just…."

"No more negative thinking," Bella scolded. "C'mon, Edward! This is like, your event. I've seen you kick total ass in it. Hell, I've seen you kick total ass all week. And now you're gonna let one stupid injury get to you?"

"You're right."

"I know I'm right. You're gonna do great out there. C'mon grab your caps. Your race starts in five minutes."

I nodded, grabbed my caps and goggles, and followed Bella onto the pool deck. The crowd was so fricking loud, and the swimming hadn't even started yet. The four hundred I.M. finals were the first event, followed by the hundred back, and the hundred breaststroke, semis, then the hundred free semis.

Bell left me behind lane four, and I pulled my shorts and jacket off, stretched my shoulders and tried to bend my knee a bit. Bella had done a great job taping it up, and not having that heavy brace on was great. I was still having trouble getting my knee to bend just the way I wanted it to. Actually, it really wasn't bending at all. I hoped it wasn't going to screw with my breaststroke too much.

I pulled my caps and goggles on.

"Men's four hundred meter individual medley," the starter announced. The official blew the whistle and I climbed up onto the block.

"Swimmers, take your marks," I leaned over, clutching the block, ready to shove off the at the lightest sound

The starter hit the button, the beep traveled fast, and I was off the block.

I kicked fast under water, pleased that the dolphin kicks weren't giving me as much trouble as I thought they would.

I broke out into a fast butterfly, remembering the way Coach wanted me to swim this, hard and fast the fist two legs, easy the third one hundred and all out the fourth.

I hit the wall at fifteen strokes, turned and shot off, back underwater, kicking hard. I started my fly again, and used my arms for speed more than my legs, trying to take as much strain as possible off my knee. Dolphin kicks still required the use of your knee, and it was really starting to hurt.

I hit the wall at seventeen strokes, and turned fast for backstroke. Doing the dolphin kicks on my back seriously _hurt_ but I knew they would cut time off, and it was worth it.

I started my stroke, pulling fast, trying desperately not to kick too much, and rely more on my arms.

I rolled over, took a freestyle pull, and flipped. I hit the wall the way I wanted to, far enough away that I wasn't going to have to bend my knee to get off. I wasn't going to be relying on the momentum from the wall for the second fifty that was for sure.

I continued with the fifty, using my upper body strength more and more, trying to not use my legs, and save my knee.

I hit the wall, turned fast, and did one last, fast dolphin kick before I started my under water pullout.

Dear Lord, did it hurt.

It was worse than it had been the night before, sheer agonizing, mind numbing _pain_ that wouldn't go away. Every kick was torture. I was a relief to finally hit the wall on the other side, except it reminded me that I was _only have way done with the hundred_.

I don't which was worse, the first fifty or the second- both were agonizingly painful and slow. Both mad me want to die right then and there.

But I was able to put a little bit more speed to the second one, a desperate desire to make it on the team in this event driving me faster.

I hit the wall, and took off, swimming freestyle as fast as I could. I kicked hard, making my knee hurt even more, but I didn't care. I wanted to make the team in this event. And I wanted that world record.

I flipped hard a little close, and shoved off. My knee felt like it had exploded, but I did my best to ignore the pain and just kept on swimming as fast as I could, not even daring to breathe but twice.

I hit the wall, breathing hard. I ripped my caps and goggles off, my hand shaking from the exhaustion.

I leaned against the wall, catching my breath, until I heard the other swimmers climbing out and congratulating one another.

I climbed out, my arms shaking from the strain of the race. I was exhausted, and I still had to swim in the hundred free semis.

I pulled my jacket on, and my short, and shoved my caps and goggles into my pocket. It hurt a lot to walk, and I limped as fast as I could around the pool deck to where Bella always met me.

Bella wrapped her arms around me, hugging me almost as hard as Emmett had earlier. But while Emmett had seriously tried to crush me, Bella was congratulating me.

"Oh, my God, Edward, that was incredible!" Bella laughed lightly. "Your fly looked great, and I counted your strokes. You took one less than you count every fifty. You lowered the world record, and got first!" she broke off for a second, then her voice turned quiet, and more sympathetic. "How's your knee feel?"

I groaned. "Like hell."

"I'm sorry," Bella told me. "C'mon, you can lean on me while we walk over for you to warm down."

I groaned again. The thought of getting back in the water made me wanna commit suicide.

"It won't be that bad." Bella promised. "C'mon!"

I put as much weight on her as I thought she could take, not wanting to hurt her. We walked to the arm down pool slowly. To me, walking around was enough of a warm down already. I didn't wanna be put through any more pain.

"Do you think you can handle an easy five hundred?" Bella asked.

I nodded. "I think so."

"If it gets to be too much, just stop, okay?"

I nodded, pulled my cap on, and my goggles, and slid into the warm water.

I managed to swim a three hundred before the pain got unbearable again. I leaned against the wall, catching my breath.

"Edward, are you all right?" Coach asked. I assumed he'd come down after my race.

I nodded weakly. "God, it hurts, Coach."

"I know son. Do you think you can get another hundred done?"

I shook my head. "I doubt it. And still have to swim a hundred free? That's not gonna happen."

"All right. Climb out, son."

I did, and fought against a groan. It seemed like everything I tried to do now hurt.

Coach helped me walk to where Bella was sitting with my stuff, and helped me sit down.

"I'm not going to have you walk around the pool to the ready room, and then have to walk all the way around back here. It's not worst it."

I nodded tiredly and leaned my head against Bella shoulder. I could've fallen asleep like that, I was so comfortable.

Something sharp struck my knee.

I groaned aloud, and clutched at the tape, willing, desperately longing, for the pain to stop.

"Smooth move, Cullen. Way to get hurt."

"Shut the hell _up _Fyne. I've had enough of this crap." I hissed through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, whatever. Good luck in your hundred free. I'd like to see you make the team on that one." He told me.

"Didn't plan to. Just the relay team. Which is more than you could ever say."

He snorted. "Whatever, Cullen. You wish you were as good as me."

"Hardly. Try I wish you'd leave me the hell alone."

He kicked me in the knee again. God _damn_. Where the hell was Coach when you needed him?

"Look, Dimitri, if you don't leave now, I'll have you disqualified from the meet for physically harassing another swimmer." Bella practically shouted.

"You wouldn't," Dimitri muttered darkling.

"Watch me."

I let out a low moan. I was so gonna kick his ass once I could stand up. Hell, I was gonna do more than kick his ass.

I heard heavy footsteps retreat and let out a long stream of profanity.

"Are you all right?" Bella asked worriedly.

"Argh, _no_." I muttered. "Shit, did that hurt."

"Can you walk? Your race starts in like, nine minutes."

"Guess I'm gonna have to."

Bella helped me stand. "Where's Coach?" I asked, leaning heavily against her.

"He had to go back upstairs. He thought we'd be fine down here, and he needed to talk to Coach Eddie about something."

"The Olympic Men's team head coach?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"It couldn't have waited?"

"He got a message form Eddie saying he had to get up there now."

I nodded. "The warm down pool isn't visible from the stands, is it?"

"I don't- no, it isn't why?"

"I think I have a pretty good idea who sent that message, and it wasn't Eddie."

"Who could have-? Oh, my god. You don't think…?"

"I dunno, but it's a possibility."

"C'mon, I'll think about it while you swim."

We walked around the pool deck to the lanes, and Bella and I both stood behind lane five as the first heat of the semis went off. We technically didn't have to be here for another two or three minutes, but I took the opportunity to focus on my race, and block Dimitri completely from my mind.

As the first heat ended and climbed out, I was ready and pumped up for the race. I had another two minutes till the race was set to go off.

Bella left, promising to meet me where she always did. I pulled my jacket and shorts off, pulled my cap and goggles on, and was completely ready to swim.

The starter announced the heat, and I climbed up on the block. I could hear the other swimmers doing the same thing.

"Swimmers, take your marks."

_Beep_.

Like, a rocket, I was gone, in the water, dolphin kicking, before starting out in a crazy, fast freestyle.

My arms were gonna hurt like there was no tomorrow at the end of this race, but I didn't care. I flipped hard and fast, shoved off the wall, and kicked as hard as I could, stroking hard, fast, and powerful.

I hit the other wall hard, almost knocking the breath out of me.

I breathed deeply, hardly winded by the hard race. Dimitri's pathetic taunting had fired me up, and I'd swum like a madman was after me.

Now, I was barely breathing hard.

I climbed out of the water, thinking furiously, _take that Fyne_.

--

I didn't have any prelims the next morning, either. I made Bella promise to come to my room around ten. I was gonna be bored lying in bed with ice on my knee all day, and I desperately needed her company to brighten my day.

Sure enough, right when my watch beeped ten times the following, waking me up a little, there was a knock on my door.

It took me a couple of minutes to hobble to the door and let her in. my knee was killing me after that horrible abuse I put it through last night.

I sat back down on my bed, and put the towel filled with ice back on top of my knee. It wasn't working too well, and neither were the pain killers, but I had promised my dad I would try it.

"You'll never guess what I found this morning." Bella told me excitedly, handing me a bagel.

"What?" I asked.

"This really great article. But, I mean, it's like, awesome. It sounds like something Lily would have written."

I laughed. "Can you read it to me?"

"No problem." I heard her rifle through a couple pages of newsprint. "Okay, here it is."

"Two nights ago, blind swimmer Edward Cullen stunned Americans with his spectacular second place finish in the men's two hundred meter butterfly, going under the existing world record, and placing second to Michael Phelps by a little less than three tenths of a second. But during the four hundred meter individual medley, Cullen injured his knee and collapsed on the pool deck right after the race had finished. Several officials believed the boy's father should have called the ambulance. Instead, Dr. Cullen and his wife took the boy back to the hotel not too far from the Qwest center.

"Several swimmers and officials expected Cullen not to show up the next night to swim in the finals of the men's four hundred I.M., even though he had injured his knee, he had still placed first in his heat, and first overall. When Cullen showed up to swim last night, several people were awestruck by his dedication to the sport.

"And Cullen didn't let his knee injury slow him down. He set a new world record in the four hundred meter I.M., and qualified for the finals of the men's one hundred meter freestyle. Cullen certainly awed and amazed thousands of people last night, and is definitely one swimmer to watch in London."

"Wow." I whispered.

"Yeah. I have a feeling there was a lot more to the original, but it may have got edited out."

"I'd believe it."

"Still pretty cool, though."

"Who wrote it?"

"Not Tanya, I know that. She rather ruin your rep than promote it.

"Too right you are." I paused. "Do you know if Lily is gonna be at the Qwest center tonight?"

"No… why?"

"I think she'd love it if I gave it to her."

"I bet you're right, she really would."

I grinned lazily, and moved the ice pack a little on my knee. "What do you think?"

"Of you giving the article to Lily? I think it's sweet."

"No, of my race last night."

"I think it was definitely one of the best races I've ever seen you swim."

"You agree with the article, then?" I asked.

"Yes… and no. I don't like that they had to bring up the fact that your blind. And I don't only think you're a swimmer to watch in London, you're a swimmer to watch all the time, during every race. You deserve to be on the team, and you are one of the strongest people I know to put up with the pain and competition this sport has put you through."

I knew she had more to say, but I didn't let her finish. Instead, I just kissed her.

**-Sighs- twenty two pages. Are you all happy? Oh, just a little clarification, during the Trials and the Olympics, the warm down pool isn't visible from the stands. It's like, sorta under the stands, I guess. I dunno, I'm trying to remember from those Michael Phelps books I read, but I know it wasn't part of the actual Myrtha pool. Hope that clears a little bit up.**

**I have a deal to make with you. If I get eleven reviews, beating the review count for my other fic, I'll update either tomorrow or Tuesday, if I don't get eleven reviews, I won't update until Saturday. Sound fair? So click the little green button! Later! **


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys. I hope you all liked the last chapter. I have some pretty big plans for this one, and I promise this is the last chapter about the meet (so it'll probably be another long one). I love swimming, but there's only so many ways that you can describe diving off the block.**

Chapter Twenty Three

We lost track of time, just sitting there hanging out. One minute, we were joking around about the article, the next, practically falling asleep.

My knee was bothering me, and Bella could tell. It wasn't even like if I moved it one way, it would stop. It hurt everywhere, no matter what I did. The weight of the ice just made it hurt more, and the ice didn't take away any of the pain. More than once, Bella offered to run upstairs to ask my dad for a stronger pain med. Each time, I declined. I'd deal with the pain, as long as she didn't have to leave.

Around four, she made me get ready. It hurt more and more very time I tried to walk, and I knew it wasn't getting any better. Warm up was gonna be a pain tonight.

Bella carried my backpack for me, letting me lean on her the entire walk to the Qwest center. She knew I was in serious pain, and she was kinda annoyed that I wouldn't let my dad give me anything for it. She humored me, though.

We left my stuff in the ready room, and waited for Coach by one of the lanes. He wasn't late- God forbid if Coach was ever late- we were just really early.

I could hear Coach's familiar footsteps across the pool deck just as my watch beeped five times. Other swimmers were arriving too; I heard a splash as one swimmer jumped in to start their warm up.

"Hey, Edward," Coach said. I head him drop his bag to the pool deck.

I nodded. "What's warm up?"

Coach was silent for a moment. "That depends."

On what?" I asked suspiciously.

"How's your knee?"

"Oh God. Are you serious?" I mumbled. "It's _fine_."

"I'm not gonna have you over doing your self with a bad injury. Now,s eriously, what's up with your knee?"

I sighed defeated. "It hurts. A lot. And all the pain meds in the world can't make it stop."

"Have you asked your dad about it?"

"He thinks the best way to fix it would be surgery, but that would keep me out of the pool for month, and then there's no clue as to how long it would take to get back in shape. There's just no way to have anything done to fix it this close to the Olympics."

Coach was silent. "is it safe for you to swim?"

I laughed halfheartedly. "Since when has it ever been? Dad said he'd let me, I had to take it easy everywhere else."

"I held him captive today and made sure he said off of it," Bella said.

I rolled my eyes while Coach laughed. "Good. We don't need him doing anything stupid."

Bella laughed lightly.

"Where does it hurt?" Coach asked, turning his attention back to the matter at hand.

"_Every_where. It just _hurts_. I can't do anything to make it stop. It's just a constant, agonizing pain that never fades or stops. It actually hurt to put ice on it."

"No matter what you're doing?"

"It hasn't stopped hurting for the past two days."

Coach exhaled slowly; I could tell he was thinking. "Think you can do an easy three hundred freestyle?"

I grinned. "Easy."

"Stop if it gets to be too much. I don't care if you stop in the middle of the lane, and cling to the lane line, just stop. If someone yells at ya for doing it, yell right on back."

I laughed. "Got it."

I pulled my cap on, and my goggles, and leaned against the block before jumping into the water, and leaning against the wall while pulling my goggles down over my eyes.

Amazingly enough, as I just leaned against the wall before starting the three hundred, the cold water actually helped my knee a little bit. It wasn't like the ice, which had hurt because of the weight, but it felt just as cold. I couldn't help but grin a little bit. Next time it started hurting, I was just gonna soak it in freezing water.

I started the three hundred, doing my best to not kick too hard, saving my knee. As soon as I had started swimming, the pain had picked up again.

It seemed to take ages to finish the whole three hundred. Once I finally had, I was dreading the next set. Being in the water felt good, putting myself through the pain didn't.

Thankfully, though, Coach seemed to be picking up on my pain. He only had me swim a quick set of five one hundreds to get my muscles going, and a short set of fifties to get my heart rate up. After that, he let me climb out and dry off before walking to the ready room with me and Bella.

Tonight went much the same as the past nights. I stretched out, ate something, and listened to my iPod, getting completely focused. I only had to swim the finals of the hundred free, then I could go back to the hotel and sleep. I still felt really out of it, like even though my head was completely in it, I was still distant. It was weird, but I couldn't shake it.

"You know how you're gonna swim this?" Coach asked, about twenty minutes before the meet was set to start.

I nodded. "Flat out sprint right form the start." Screw the pain. I wanted to be on the relay team. To do so, I just needed to prove i could do this. Being on the preliminary relay team would be great, but… something about swimming in the finals just sorta clicked.

"Good. But don't kill yourself that first fifty. Lay off a little bit and give it all you got that last lap."

I nodded.

Bella gently undid my knee brace, and pulled it off. I heard her take in a sharp breath.

"What?" I asked. "What's wrong, Bella?"

"I- just- your knee is just really swollen. I think even more than it was last night," Bella told me quietly, gently pressing a piece of sports tape to the skin right above my knee. "I thought it would've gotten at least a little bit better."

As she wrapped it, I couldn't fight the moans coming out of my chest. It hurt every time her fingers brushed the skin. When she wrapped the tape around it, it was sheer agony.

Finally, at long last, she was finished. I let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

"I really think you should ask your dad for stronger pain meds. Advil ain't cutting it."

I nodded. "You're right."

"You've been saying that a lot lately," she noted.

"I've actually been listening to you lately."

She laughed. "You better get changed. Your race goes off at eight-twenty."

I nodded. I heard the door open and close, and then I was left in silence.

I changed into my suit, taking longer than usual. I finally sat back down on the message table in full race gear and sweats.

I heard the door open a couple minutes later, and Bella's gentle voice ring out, "Edward?"

I nodded once to show that I had heard her.

I heard her sit down next to me.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Are you sure? You don't sound fine."

I let out a slow breath. "I'm sure."

"You really wanna swim this?"

I nodded.

"You're certain?"

I smiled a little. "Positive."

"Okay," she said slowly.

"You don't want me to swim this." I didn't intend for it to be a question.

"I don't wanna see you put yourself through that pain again," she told me quietly.

I hugged her. "Don't worry, Bella," I promised. "I'll be fine."

"Don't kill yourself out there, okay?" she asked.

"I won't."

"Good," she sighed, relieved. "Oh, and about yesterday? I think you were right."

"What about?"

"About who sent your coach that text. I don't think it was Eddie, either."

I nodded. "Aro," I muttered.

"Or Dimitri," she added. "That would explain why he picked then of all times to pick a fight."

"Good point." I sighed. "What time is it?"

"You still have ten minutes."

I nodded, distracted. I still didn't get why Dimitri tried so hard to get me out of the water. I was faster than him, yeah, but what's wrong with an honest competition? He constantly felt the need to do something to mess me up. I couldn't' take it anymore. He was gonna drive me insane if this kept up.

I was completely wrapped up in my thoughts until Bella said it was time for my race. Then I shut them out, and focused on the final at hand.

i wanted to be on the relay team. I just needed to show that I was fast, even if freestyle wasn't my best stroke. The team's head coach would pick the four swimmers he thought could give us the best shot at winning. same thing for the preliminary team- the four swimmers that had the best shot at getting the finals team to the finals.

I pulled my sweats off behind lane three. I had the third fastest time going into the race- a forty seven.

The starter announced our heat, and I climbed up on the block. I was ready to swim.

I bent down, taking my mark as soon as the starter told us to do so. My muscles were tense, anticipation coursed through my veins.

The starter went off, and I was off the block, slicing through the water in a perfect streamline.

I broke out into smooth, fast freestyle, sprinting as fast as I could to the other side. After twenty five strokes I flipped. I hit the wall closer than I expected, and my knee screamed out in protest as I shoved off. I ignored it as best as I could, and picked my stroke up again.

I put more speed on the last ten strokes, hitting the timing board as hard as I could. I pulled my caps off, dunked my head underwater, and leaned against the wall, rubbing my knee, waiting for the call to clear the pool.

Finally, we were allowed to climb out. I leaned on the block before limping painfully to grab my sweats and go meet Bella.

She hugged me tight as soon as I stopped walking, right where we always met.

"Oh, my god, Edward!" she gushed. "That was awesome! I don't think I've ever seen your freestyle look that good."

I winced as my knee ached sharply. "Thanks."

"Your knee's bothering you," she accused.

"Yeah."

"Idiot," she muttered. "You know that?"

"That I'm an idiot? Yeah, I think I figured it out,"

I bit my tongue hard as my knee throbbed. It hadn't given me any trouble during my race, unless you count my turn, and now it was driving me insane.

"C'mon you can-"

"Mr. Cullen?"

A woman's voice cut her off.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Hi. Patty Jones, from NBC 4. Do you mind if we get a quick word?"

I give up. These people were _everywhere_. It wasn't worst fighting them anymore.

"Edward, you need to warm down," Bella reminded me quietly.

I nodded. "I know."

"This won't take but a moment. Please?"

"I'm fine with it, Bella." I told her quickly. I actually was. Maybe they'd leave me alone after this.

"Fine," Bella sighed. "But it can't be too long. You have drug testing and I want you to get a lactate test done, plus warm down."

She handed me a towel, and I wrapped it around my shoulders.

"Great," the reporter said. "I'll be right back."

I heard her footsteps walk away.

"You're insane, you know that?"

"yeah, I know," I sighed. "I gave up, though. These people won't leave alone. I might as well give them something rather than nothing."

"You swim a four hundred I.M., and set a world record with your messed up knee, but you give in to the paparazzi? You are mentally unstable."

I laughed. "I've known that for a while."

She laughed, too. "Make it quick, though. Like, really quick. I want your dad to check your knee out again."

"You think I did more damage?"

"That wall wasn't exactly the best I've ever seen."

I knew I had screwed up my turn.

I heard the reporter's footsteps coming back, followed by more, heavier footsteps, probably a camera man or something.

"I'm not leaving," Bella told me quietly.

"I don't want you to."

"Ready Edward?" the reporter asked quickly.

I nodded.

The man with her started counting down from five. On two, she started talking.

"I'm here with possibly the greatest star of any Olympic Trials, Edward Cullen," she said. I resisted the urge to shoot a look in the direction of her voice. Greatest star of any Olympic trials? Ha ha, she was kidding. She had to be.

"Edward, what was it like coming back last night to swim in the finals of the four hundred I.M.?" she asked. "What did it take for you to decide to swim in the event?"

"Coming back wasn't the hard thing," I said honestly. "I've swam with worst injuries than this. Convincing my family was hard, though." Okay, I had never swum with a worse injury than this, but I knew I could be worse off. "Swimming the actual event though, was like torture. Especially during the breaststroke."

"What do you mean?" Ms. Jones asked.

"It hurt a lot," I admitted. "You use your knee in breaststroke to get the outward motion, and my knee was so swollen I had trouble doing that."

"I realized you need to go warm down, so just one last question," she told me. "what's it like being the first visually impaired swimmer to ever make the U.S. Olympic team?"

I shrugged. I actually hadn't thought about that. "I dunno. I haven't really thought about the events I've swum earlier this week. My focus right now is on my last two events."

"Well, thanks Edward," I could tell from the tone of her voice she was shooting me a smile.

I nodded, and Bella and I walked towards the arm down pool.

"Slut," Bella muttered as soon as we were out of earshot.

"Excuse me?" I asked, smiling a little.

"Her. You should've seen the way she was looking at you. It was totally disgusting." Bella sounded like she was fighting not to laugh. "Actually, it was pretty funny."

"Jealous?" I asked.

"That girls are constantly thinking of putting their hands all over you? Maybe just a little…"

I laughed. "Don't worry. You don't have any competition. I'm yours."

"Gee, that makes me feel good." She laughed. "thanks, though. That was sweet."

"I love you, Bella," I told her.

She kissed me quickly.

"Well, then, lover boy, surely you have no complaints to getting in the water for your warm down?"

--

A little more than half an hour later, Bella and I were walking upstairs to meet my parents and siblings before heading back to the hotel.

I don't see your parents anywhere in this mess," Bella told me. "C'mon."

I walked hand in hand with her through the crowd. There were people everywhere. I could hear them yelling and talking and just being plain annoying.

"Stay right here," Bella pushed me gently against the wall. "And don't do anything stupid."

"Yes, ma'am," I told her jokingly.

"I'm serious! You keep getting into trouble."

"All right! I won't do anything stupid. Where are you going?"

"Back downstairs to see if your parents are somewhere in that mess."

"Where's Coach, anyway?"

"Like I know. I swear, he's been getting so caught up with spending time in the Coach's box along with Eddie and every other fricking coach here, he's gonna end up living there."

I laughed. "Knowing Coach, he probably would."

Bella laughed. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes. Don't move, or do anything idiotic."

"Okay, fine, I promise I won't do anything stupid."

"Good. Be right back."

I leaned against the wall, and listened to her footsteps walk away.

"Hey, Cullen."

I bit back a groan. "What the hell do you want Fyne?"

"just wanted to say that was a good race," she told me snidely. "Too bad you won't be doing the same thing tomorrow morning in the prelims. It's gonna suck having no real competition for the semis."

"What makes you so sure you're gonna beat my time?" his fly time was fast, but still a second slower than mine, and Bella told me my four hundred split time and my two hundred split times had all been faster than my existing hundred time was now, if only by a couple of hundredths of a second. It was still faster.

"Oh, puh-lease." He hissed. "Cullen, are you forgetting where you're at? These aren't the disability opens anymore. You're swimming with the big boys now. There's no way you can keep up."

"Looks like I've done a pretty good job so far." I had a point. I had qualified for every event I'd swum so far. I considered that pretty good for a kid who'd never swum against half the competition here, or any of the competition going into the Olympics.

"Psh, whatever. So you've qualified for what, four events? It's not gonna matter anyway, 'Cause tomorrow, you wont be able to swim any of them when I get through with you."

"What can you do? Your fly times were horrendous for that two hundred, both your splits more than half a second slower than mine. Good luck trying to beat me," I knew there was a high possibility he could, but we had said the showdown would be during the finals, and if one swimmer knocked the other out in the prelims or the semis, he automatically won. I couldn't help but pray that wouldn't happen. There was no way I was going to give up my spot on the team, but I also wasn't going to let Dimitri beat me.

The next thing I knew, he had me shoved up against the wall, my feet off the ground. God damn since when had he gotten this frickin strong?

"You'd be surprised what I can do, kid."

"Strong words coming from one so cowardly." I kicked him with my good leg to no avail.

"Dimitri," I heard an over gleeful voice call. "What do you think you're doing?"

Fyne dropped me. I crashed back to me feet, and felt my bad leg give way under me as sheer pain blinded all my senses.

I didn't hear what Dimitri said next, but I knew it was probably something better left unheard. I did hear Aro, laugh though.

"Edward!" I heard two voices call, one I recognized as my father's, the other's was Lily's.

Oh, God. I really hoped she hadn't seen that.

I groaned as another wave of pain washed over me. It wasn't gonna stop. I could tell that right now. It was just gonna keep tormenting me….

I could feel my dad's cold fingers pressed against my face. "Edward? Can you hear me?"

I let out a low moan in response.

"Edward!" I heard Lily sob. "Edward!"

"Shh," I heard Bella tell her gently. Everything sounded like it was far away.

Another wave of pain washed over me, so strong tears actually welled up in my eyes. I felt my dad help me sit up.

"Edward, say something," my dad urged, his cold finger feeling my wrist for my pulse.

I couldn't at first, the pain was too strong, and finally, I gasped. "God damn this frickin hurts."

I leaned my head back against the wall, breathing hard, glad my dad didn't reprimand me for my language. I could hear my mom not that far away, and God, did she sound _pissed_. I couldn't hear anyone responding to her, but I could tell she was giving someone one hell of a verbal assault.

"Edward, you're crying," Lily told me gently, her small fingers brushing a stray tear away from my face.

I forced a small, pained smile. "I guess I am, kiddo."

"Don't cry," she whimpered. I could tell she was on the verge of tears herself.

I felt my dad's cold fingers touch the bare part of my knee cap that Bella never taped. I couldn't fight the scream and the string of profanities it caused.

"Sorry," my dad murmured. "Where does it hurt?"

"Argh. Everywhere." I moaned.

"Do you think you can walk?" my dad asked.

"I'm gonna have to no matter what I say," I mumbled. "What's it matter?"

"Don't give me any attitude Edward," my father warned sharply. "Now tell me, do you think you can walk?"

"Ugh. Hell no. I can't even stand sitting here, it hurts so much."

I heard Bella murmur something to Lily, then her soft footsteps walking away.

"Edward?" Lily's soft voice asked fearfully.

"Yeah, kiddo?" I asked tiredly, almost distantly. I wanted the pain to stop.

"It'll be okay," I felt her give me a quick hug.

"Thanks kiddo."

I heard my mom's voice raise, and blend with another person's. I still couldn't make out what they were saying, but I knew they were having an argument.

I groaned again. The pain was unbearable, and it was in my head, too. I couldn't get it to go away. I just wanted it to stop.

"C'mon, son," I dad told me, helping me stand, supporting almost all of my weight. All the same, my head still spun and I almost passed out.

I felt soft skin brush against mine from my other side, and Bella's gentle voice from far away as she helped me walk, too.

It was agonizing, the time it took back to the hotel. I was so exhausted; I was ready to collapse on my bed and leave the entire night behind me, and not move for the rest of the millennia, but of course, Bella had me change out of my suit, into a pair of pajama bottoms. She undid the tape on my knee, doing her best to be careful. I didn't think it really mattered. Whether she accidentally touched the swelling around my knee or not, I was still in incredible pain.

She put ice on my knee, and made me take pain meds. I knew it was putting her through a lot to see me in so much pain. I couldn't even begin to imagine how I was gonna get through the whole night like this.

By some miracle, though, I managed to fall asleep, and escape the pain.

--

I came back to my senses slowly the following morning.

The pain came first- sharp and brutal, and somehow even less tolerable than it was last night.

Then came the realization that Bella was sleeping next to me, her breathing deep and even, and her skin warm.

That somehow seemed to help the pain more than any painkiller could. Just the knowledge that she was right here was enough to block the pain and make it more bearable.

I heard her roll over, her breathing become less even, more like what it was when she was awake.

"Mmm… you awake, Edward?" she asked me sleepily.

I yawned. "Yeah."

"What time is it?"

"I dunno. Like six thirty maybe?"

I felt her warm fingers clutch my wrist. "Seven forty, more like it." She yawned. "C'mon. You gotta swim the prelims for the hundred fly."

I groaned, all of last night's memories washing over me. I was so gonna kick Dimitri's ass during those prelims for everything he'd done to me in the last fourteen years.

Bella shook my shoulder. "C'mon sleepy-head. Time to wake up."

"Oh, believe me, I'm awake."

"Does your knee hurt?" she already knew the answer- I could feel it written all over my face.

"C'mon. Get up, okay?" she told me, shaking my shoulder a little harder.

"We don't have to be there for another hour."

"And at the time it's gonna take you to walk there? An hour won't be enough."

"Gee, thanks."

I rolled off the bed though, ignoring the pain that shot up my leg in protest to the strain.

I changed slowly in the bathroom, exhaustion still edging my consciousness. I'd slept desperately last night, and it still hadn't been enough.

Finally, though, I had my suit on and shorts on over it, along with my jacket. The prelims started at ten thirty, but my race wasn't technically till eleven thirty, since I was in the last heat, lane five. My time was second only to Michael's. I figured Dimitri would be in the heat before ours. His time wasn't gonna be fast enough for our heat. He'd still make it to the semis though, if he was really as fast as he said he was.

Bella and I walked to the Qwest center. She had to beg me to let her carry my backpack and lean on her as we walked. I didn't think she should've had to. I would've lived, but she was stubborn and grabbed it from me before I could lodge another protest.

Coach was waiting for us behind a lane. I had a feeling he had a good, long chew-out ready for our lateness. But Bella said as soon as he saw me, his attitude changed.

"You okay, kid?" she asked as I pulled my cap on. "You don't have to swim this, you know. You're already on the team. No one's gonna think any different of you for it."

_Not happening_, I thought bitterly. _There's no way I'm giving Dimitri that satisfaction_.

"I'm fine, Coach," I said. "Just a little banged up."

"Take it easy. Swim an easy hundred. I'm not gonna push you too far. Especially not now." Coach told me.

I nodded, shoved my goggles into my eyes, and jumped for warm up.

The underwater kicks before I started freestyle were brutal. I didn't know how I was gonna swim a hundred fly, but I'd make it work somehow.

After the hundred, Coach only had me swim a couple of fifties to warm my muscles up before he had me climb out and go to the ready room. He said he definitely didn't want me to over do it, but had me spend over an hour stretching out before Bella taped my knee up and I changed into my suit.

I was so not ready to swim the hundred, but I knew I had to. I had to beat Dimitri. I had to seriously kick his frickin ass so he'd finally get his pride beaten so badly he'd hopefully never come near me again.

Bella and I walked over behind the block just as the third to last heat went off. I pulled my cap on, and tossed my shorts and jacket on the chair behind the block. I stretched my shoulders out extra well- they were gonna need to make up any extra speed my legs couldn't.

The last heat before ours went off. I heard the strokes of every single swimmer in the heat, as they swam the hundred. I tried to remember if Dimitri was in that heat, and what time he would get. I quickly shook the thoughts form my head. Who care's what Fyne did? I had to focus.

The heat ended, and the starter was telling us to step up. I pressed my goggles into my eyes one last time, before taking my mark.

_Beep_.

I pushed off hard, kicking hard and fast underwater. The desperation to beat Fyne drove me faster than I normally would've gone in a prelim, not to mention the first lap of a prelim. But I knew I had more speed in me than just this. I hit the wall at exactly fifteen strokes, did a perfect Texas turn and was gone before my brain had even realized I had touched the wall.

I gave the last fifty as much speed as I could manage, and hit the wall hard. As my head popped up, I could hear people screaming everywhere. It was like a fricking monster roaring right in my ear, it was so loud. I dunked my head underwater to relive my self of the madness for a moment, before climbing out.

My knee hadn't given me any trouble during the sprint, but id didn't know if that was because I was so into the race, I hadn't noticed anything, or if it truly hadn't hurt. I suspected the first one, because as soon as I was standing on the pool deck, the pain returned. Not nearly as bad as it had been, but still there.

I pulled my jacket on, zipping it up quickly. It was cold again, and I still had a two hundred I.M. to swim.

"Hey, Edward," a voice said. "That was some seriously amazing swimming."

I grinned a little. It was Michael. "Thanks, man."

"No prob. I seriously thought I had you for a while, and then you just passed me. That was cool."

"Thanks." I smiled just a little bit more. "You're a great flyer."

He laughed. "I've got nothing on you. You have a real talent for the hundred, that's for sure."

"And you've got a serious knack for the two hundred," I told him, pulling ym shorts on. He had beaten my time by more than a second lowering his world record to a one sisty one. That was insane.

"Thanks," he told me.

He shook my hand, and said he'd see me later. I walked around the pool deck to where I'd always met Bella.

She tired to crush me.

"Dude!" she yelled, a sure sign she'd been hanging around with me for too long. She'd finally picked up my vocabulary. "That was _insane_! Your fly looked incredible and you _just _oust touched Michael for the wall."

"How was my time?" I asked.

"You were just off the world record," she told me. Damn, that was fast. Faster than my time had been from before, anyway.

"By how much?"

"About a tenth of a second."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

I walked with her to the warm down pool, swam a quick two hundred under Coach's watchful eyes, and was back behind the blocks for the prelims of the two hundred.

Even with that drop at the disability open, my two hundred time seriously sucked. A two oh six put me in the second heat out of more than twelve. It was highly likely I wasn't going to make the semis for this.

All the same, when I climbed up onto the block, I still had my mind focused on winning. To top it all off, I was in lane seven, way on the outside. I needed a strong lead to save myself from swimming in the other swimmers wakes and adding more resistance.

The starter hit the button and I was gone. Six fast dolphin kicks, and I was starting my fly, the same speed that come out during my hundred was pouring out of me now, and it seemed endless. I was determined to make the semis in this, even if it was in the sixteenth frickin spot.

I hit the wall, and turned fast for backstroke. I wanted to have a strong back stroke leg to make up for the horrendous breaststroke that was next.

I turned fast, using the wall for one last bit of speed, one fast dolphin kick, and one horribly painful underwater pullout.

The breaststroke seemed slow and endless. When I finally hit the wall, I shot off, trying to make up the speed I needed to make the top sixteen.

I hit the timing board hard. I pulled my caps off, leaning against the wall, breathing hard. My energy was spent, my knee was aching and I was desperate to just go back to the hotel and sleep.

The crowd was loud, annoying, and about to give me a serious headache. Why couldn't they all just shut up?

I climbed out when the official blew the whistle, grabbed my jacket and shorts off the chair, and walked around the pool deck to where I knew Bella would be standing.

I got another one of her crushing hugs. She actually held me so tight that I actually though my ribs were gonna break. Normally only Emmett could do that.

"Do you have any idea how well you did?" she asked.

I shook my head. "You won't tell me till I warm down?"

"I don't think that's possible."

"Then tell me!"

"one fifty four," she said.

I grabbed her arm. "Seriously?" I one fifty four was _fast_. "just off the world record?" I asked.

"Yeah. That's seriously awesome for your prelim, though. You were like a little less than a fifty ahead of every one else. It was _awesome_ to watch."

"It was awesome to swim." I told her.

"That's one hell of a drop, you know? Sometimes I can't believe how fast you've gotten in the past two months."

I grinned. "All thanks to you and Coach."

At the arm down pool, Coach was nearly in tears from all the excitement. He kept saying over and over that my race had been the best he'd ever seen. I threatened to throw water on him if he didn't shut up. even then, he kept on talking about it. Every time I finished a hundred, I could here him going over it in serious detail. God, for real? Bella had just watched it. It didn't need to be broken down and analyzed, for the love of God.

Warm down made my knee sting a lot more than the race had, but I put up with it. It wasn't as bad as it had been last night, that was for sure.

After warm down, I walked with Bella back to the hotel and crashed in her room again. It was a lot quieter on her floor than mine, and my headache was starting to bother me more and more. The Advil I took for my knee helped a little but not as much as I need it to.

Five hours after we had left, we were back. I was much better rested than I had been this morning, and the Advil had finally kicked in. my head didn't hurt too much, and my knee wasn't giving me as much trouble as it usually did, either. I took all that to be a good sign.

I had the semis for the two hundred I.M. first. That aggravated me a little. I wanted to kick Dimitri's ass _now_. I was ready.

All the same, when I climbed up on the block for the race, I imagined Dimitri was swimming right next to me. In my head, I couldn't let him beat me to that first wall.

The starter went off, and I dove in strong, my dolphin kicks powerful and only the slightest bit painful. I thanked god for that and swam fly as fast as I could to the other wall, hitting at sixteen strokes. I turned fast. The dolphin kicks on my back bothered my knee a hell lot more, but once I started my stroke, I blocked the pain out and kept going as fast as I could. I still imagined Dimitri racing next to me, and I sped up a bit. I needed a lead for the breaststroke.

I hit the other wall and turned fast, giving one fast, almost regretful, dolphin kick before starting my underwater pullout. It hurt a lot, and I almost yelled out underwater from the pain, it was that bad. But I kept swimming, putting up with the pain in stride.

I hit the wall perfectly with both hands, did a fast breast to free turn and took six fast dolphin kicks before sprinting as fats as I could to the other wall. I still imagined Dimitri swimming right next to me, about to out touch me....

I slammed into the wall, and leaned against it, breathing harder than I had this morning. I was exhausted, but still in it. That was just the semis, at that. I knew I had more speed to pour into the finals tomorrow night.

I climbed out, my legs shaking a bit from the exhaustion. I blew it off, though, and grabbed my jacket and shorts, walking around the pool deck to meet with Bella.

There wasn't any time to warm down and do drug testing, so with stuck to warm down. They would get their frickin drug test later.

Coach was euphoric, almost like he was high. He couldn't string whole sentences together, but he still gave me one hell of a chew-out when I suggested he lay off a bit.

After a few minutes, I was behind the lanes again, energy somewhat restored after my last race, fatigue gone, pressing my goggles into my face before climbing up onto the block.

Michael was in lane four, Dimitri in lane two. My time from this morning was way faster than his, but it was still close enough to mine that we were in the same semis heat.

"Swimmers take your marks," the starter said, torturously slow.

Finally the starter went off, and I shoved off the block as hard as I could, barely making a splash as I hit the water.

I kicked hard, fast, before starting my stroke. I didn't think about how fast Dimitri or Michael could be going; I just poured as much speed as I could into that first fifty.

I hit the wall, turned and took off once more, speeding up my stroke even more. I put as much power to the kicks as I could, but halfway through my knee started screaming. I bit back a groan and pushed myself even harder, even faster.

I hit the wall at seventeen strokes. I leaned against it, breathing the hardest I had after a race all week. I was dead tired, the fatigue back from my two hundred, expect more in my shoulders than my legs, and my knee felt like someone had just pulled my leg apart.

I heard a scream a couple lanes down. Not of disappointment, of accomplishment. My stomach tightened. I knew Dimitri had beaten me.

--

I warmed down quickly, in a bad mood. Bella ahd told me the three of us (Michel, Dimitri, and myself) had all gone under the world record. Of course, Dimitri had just had to gone three fricking hundredths of a second faster. I knew Bella was picking up on my mood. I had made the finals, in lane three. I had one last shot at beating him.

I could've fallen a sleep walking back to the hotel, I was so tired. I knew I had over done it, and I really didn't care. If I crashed for the next fifteen hours, I wouldn't care, either. I didn't have to go back to the pool till four the next day for the finals.

I fell asleep with a heavy ice pack on my knee, completely wiped out. When I fell asleep, Bella hadn't left yet.

I had no idea what time I woke up, but I felt well rested and a lot better than I had the night before. My knee was still bothering me, the pain from two days ago starting to return.

I blinked my eyes open tiredly, sat up and bulled the soaked towel off my knee. I was starting to think that water did more help than ice did.

"Finally awake sleepy head?" a gentle voice rang out.

I rubbed my eyes and nodded. "Why? What time is it?"

"One in the afternoon."

Damn. I knew I was tired, but I had slept for way more than fifteen hours.

"Dang," I muttered.

"There's no way you're still tired, is there?"

"A little bit, actually."

Bella put another towel on my knee. It was soaked, but it felt good on the swelling, much better than the ice did.

I leaned back against the pillows. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Does that feel better?" she asked.

"Yeah, actually, it does. Way better than the ice."

"Good. We may have finally found a way to bring the swelling down."

"How bad was it last night?"

"Pretty bad. Worse than it was two days ago if you can believe it." That was pretty bad, then.

"Ouch."

"I don't get how you can keep doing this. I know you're in pain, but you won't tell anyone. And I know it's really hurting you to swim breaststroke, but you still do it. There's no way I could do that."

"Bella, why'd you stop swimming?"

"I lost interest," she said tightly. I could tell from her tone she was lying.

"Bella, I won't care. I _know_ you didn't lose interest. Why else would you be helping me now?" I asked gently. "You know you can tell me anything."

"I… my parents didn't want me to. My mom was trying to sell the house and move to Florida to be with her boyfriend, and we didn't have a lot of spare money. She wouldn't let me swim anymore," Bella told me sadly. "I always wanted to keep it up, though. And when your parents said you couldn't that just reminded me so much of what happened to me. I didn't want that to happen to you. You have talent. I didn't."

"I don't believe that." I told her honestly.

"Oh, believe me, I didn't."

"Your backstroke time was incredible though."

"That was the last time I swam it," she sighed. "I was the fastest backstroker on my team, but then I had to stop."

"but you didn't move."

"No, I didn't. but I didn't bother to ask my mom to be put back on the team. I knew she was off blowing the extra money on something stupid. Its wasn't worth waisting the breath."

"I'm sorry."

"It's cool. That's why I applied to Loyola. It had an excellent swimming program, and I was hoping I'd at least be able to get back into the sport, if not swim competitively."

"That sucks. Why didn't you?"

"I dunno. I actually think I did," I knew she was smiling. "When I met you, you knda threw me back into the sport."

"Good," I told her. "You never should've had to give it up."

--

Bella was taping my knee up for the last time in the ready room, being extremely careful not to make me cry out in pain. Every once in a while it couldn't be helped, but she was more careful than I ever could've been.

I was making Coach nervous. I could feel it. I heard him pace back in forth, and every time I let out a single sound, he'd mutter something unintelligible under his breath. I knew he was freaking out about my injury. Last two finals of the Trials, and I was in a world of pain. I knew he was thinking I shouldn't be swimming, but there was no way I was gonna let him scratch me.

Finally, Bella was done taping my knee up. I breathed out a sigh of relief. I'd managed to do something weird to it during warm up, which had put me in horrible pain. I hadn't been able to finish warm up, it was so bad.

"Are you sure you wanna swim?" he asked me one last time.

"For the millionth time, yes!" I hissed through clenched teeth.

"All right. God, just checking."

"I'm fine. I'll live." I told him determinedly. I wasn't giving up now.

"All right…" Coach didn't sound convinced.

"What time does the race go off?"

"Eight of four. You've got enough time to change."

I nodded. "Good."

I heard both of them leave, and I changed as fast as I could. My dad was gonna be pissed, I knew that. I really would be on crutches for the next month if he found out, which, I had a bad feeling he would.

Bella came back in right as I sat down; I heard her soft footsteps stop right in front of me,

"You're positive about this?"

"Hell yeah. No way am I backing out now."

"Okay."

We sat in silence. I knew she wasn't too happy with my decision either. I didn't like her being upset, but I had to do this. I wasn't gonna let Dimitri have the satisfaction of beating me.

Finally, she and I walked out on deck, the crowd insanely loud, flaring my headache back up from yesterday.

In a metter of minutes, I was up on the block in lane five, waiting anxiously for the starter to hit the button.

"Men's two hundred meter individual meter," the starter said, agonizingly slowly. "Take your marks."

As soon as he hit the button and the sound reached my ears, I was gone, in the water, swimming fly as fast as my body would let me.

I hit the oppiste wall at fiteen strokes turned hard and fast, and shoved off.

I did something I knew Coach would flay me for later- I didn't kick underwater. Id finally learned that it hurt my knee, and my knee was gonna be put through enough agony in fifty meters. It didn't need it form backstroke, too. Instead, I came right up to the surface, knowing that it added seconds to my time.

Oh well.

I swam the fastest backstroke of my life, desperate to reach the other side as fast as possible.

I hit the timing board, turned fast and shot off, jarring my knee a little.

I did that one last, fast dolphin kick before starting a horribly slow, excruciatingly painful underwater pullout.

Despite the pain, I swam that fifty the fastest I could. I'd deal with my knee later, right now, I needed to make the team.

I hit the wall hard for my last turn, and sprinted as fast as I could back to the other wall, using the last of the energy I had set aside for the two hundred.

I hit the wall hard, pulled my caps off and tossed them onto the pool deck. My arms hurt like crazy, a mixture of the strain from yesterday and today.

After a minute, I climbed out, clutching the block for support while my legs shook. I just wanted this whole week to be over. I could take the training camps, but this whole week of exhausting myself repeatedly was going to start to do some serious damage soon.

I grabbed my jacket and short, and walked around the pool deck to where I always met Bella.

The crowd was so loud in my ears, it made my head actually _pound_. Why couldn't they just _shut up_?

Bella enveloped me in a hard hug. She was saying something really fast, but I couldn't hear her. Finally, she said something I understood.

"Edward, you have to go warm down. your hundred's up in forty minutes."

I nodded, and let her drag me to the warm down pool.

A heavy hand clapped me on the shoulder as I pulled my cap back on. I knew it was Coach. I hoped that race had called some of his anxieties a bit. I told him I was fine. Maybe now the old dude would believe me.

He had me swim an easy three hundred. By the end, my knee was screaming. I managed to ignore it, though. I just had one more race to swim.

I sat on the pool deck with Bella for the last twenty minutes before my race. My head was still throbbing, even here, where the only sounds were coach's giving instructions, the sounds of other swimmers' strokes and the lap of water against the side of the pool.

I knew Bella could tell something was bothering, but she didn't bug me about it. She just let me sit there and think while she held my hand.

Finally, the hundred fly finals were up.

I walked with Bella back behind the blocks. I was in lane three. Michael was next to me in lane four, and on his other side, Dimitri.

I climbed up on the block when the starter said to do so.

_Beep_.

For the last time at the Trials, I shoved off hard, plunged into the water, and took seven strong, fast dolphin kicks.

I broke out in effortless, easy butterfly, my determination renewed. I _had_ to beat Dimitri. I had to show him once and for all who the better swimmer was. I just had to.

Fifteen strokes, and I touched the wall. I turned perfectly, shoved off fast, took eight dolphin kicks and was back at the top of the water, stroking.

Five strokes to the wall, I added my last burst of speed, plowing so hard through that last part of the race it actually jarred my wrists when I hit the timing board.

I pulled my caps off and dunked my head under water, about as relieved as humanly possible this meet was _finally_ over. When I came up, I realized something was wrong, though.

For the first time I'd ever heard it, the entire Qwest center was dead silent.

**Okay. Flame me. I know that was cruel. And I didn't really finish the meet, but now I have ideas for the next chapter. It's twenty five pages long, forgive me, but I'm tired and I have practice, and I have homework. I'd post tomorrow, but I'm stuck babysitting –groans- that is, of course, if my coach doesn't murder me tonight.**

**Later guys. Review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys. i know the ending to the last chapter was evil. Thankfully, I didn't get stuck with babysitting duty cause of this huge snow storm that hit. Anyway, this chapter is just a little evil. No where near as much as the past three or four.**

**Oh, quick note. For this whole fic I've been using the world records as of the 2008 Olympic games. There's no way possible of knowing exactly how fast the records are going to be in four years, so I'm just using what already exists.**

Chapter Twenty Four

Somehow, the ringing silence didn't help my headache at all. I didn't know which was worse- the crowd overly exuberant, or dead silent. They both tormented my headache.

It was just plain weird. The whole week, the crowd had been loud, obnoxious, and now they were just silent.

Here and there, there were yells of disbelief, but that didn't help any. What the hell had happened?

"Michael," I called, swimming over to the lane line.

"Yeah?" he asked. He was distant; disbelief was obvious in his voice, too.

God, what the hell had happened?

"What the frickin hell is going on?" I asked.

"I- you- we all went under the world record," he said slowly. I had the feeling he was still kinda trying to take everything in. what everything was, though, I didn't know.

Okay… that wouldn't make the crowd _dead_ _silent. _

"We?" I asked.

"You, me, and that Fyne kid."

I nodded. Figures.

"I- we- we all tied." He said finally.

_Tied_? Had I heard him right?

"That's not possible," I said slowly. The omega timing system used for the Olympic Trials was extremely high tech, breaking everything thing down to _hundred_ _thousandths _of a second to get the most accurate times. The possibility of a tie was supposed to have been completely eliminated when they came out with that system.

But apparently, it had still happened.

"I didn't think so either, but I'm staring right at the bored. The exact same time is right next to all our names."

"what was the time, anyway?" I was curious.

"a fifty-," he was cut off by a huge crack of thunder. Suddenly, the hum of all the equipment was silenced.

The official blew his whistle.

"Get out of the water," he shouted. "Power's out."

I climbed out. So all three of us had gone a fifty point something, and it would've had to have been faster than a fifty point forty.

"That was weird," I heard Michael mutter as her climbed out. "I didn't even know it was storming."

I had to admit, it was weird. But not the storm. The times. The system was so high tech, it eliminated every possibility of a tie by breaking things down to hundred thousandths of a second.

Which were rounded to thousandths, then to hundredths before showing up on the board.

That meant we all would have had to have gone somewhere in the exact same range for the system to have rounded to the same exact time.

But the times that were split into the hundred thousandths and thousandths were sent to the computer.

But the power had gone out. Which meant that the computer may not have been able to save the times.

What the hell would they do if that happened?

"Hey, Michael," I said, pulling my jacket back on. "What'll they do if the computer lost the times? All three of us can't go to the Olympics. Only the top two can."

"I guess they'll have a swim off if they lost the times. There's no way we could all tie again. They'd take the two of us with the fastest times after the swim off."

I nodded. That's what I had been afraid of. Right when I thought the Trials were finally over, and I could catch up on a little bit of sleep in the next three days before starting that stupid training camp out in California, we have to swim in a swim off.

I pulled my shorts on. If the power was out, then we wouldn't be able to warm down. this was gonna seriously suck.

I walked around the pool deck. It had to be pretty dark without any lights on, because there were people everywhere, just standing there. I crashed into one or two before finally meeting up with Bella

She didn't hug me or anything, just took my hand. I could tell she was really upset about the times. And since the power just had to go off, the probably had lost the times. There most likely would be a swim off.

We walked upstairs. The lobby was extremely crowded. I could hear people everywhere. It was driving me insane. The shocked silence the crowd had been in was gone, replaced by a confused mob.

Bella found Coach. He was just as high strung and uptight as Bella was, and just as silent.

Just standing there was killing my knee. I couldn't keep my weight off of it, and every time I tried to shift my weight, the pain would flare up again.

Finally, Bella suggested I sit down. I couldn't blame her for it, surprised the idea hadn't actually struck me. I guess I had been thinking I wouldn't be standing here forever.

I heard Bella sit down next to me, and Coach too.

"Do you want my water bottle?" she offered. "Maybe that'll help a little bit."

I nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem."

She handed me her water bottle, and I pressed the freezing plastic against my knee. It didn't help much, but it would have to do.

"Edward Cullen?" a man asked.

I nodded. "Yeah?"

He shook my hand. "Tyler McAdams. I was working one of the computers when the power went out."

I nodded.

"Have you had any luck setting the computers back up?" Coach asked.

"Afraid not, sir. They were all hooked up to the timing system which runs off electricity. We don't know if the times saved or not," the man said regretfully. "As soon as the power company can get the powers lines back up, we're going to have you come back that night for a swim off. Of course, if they get it working tonight, the swim off will be tomorrow. The pumps need to be running for a while."

I nodded. "What about the times the system sent to the computer?"

"We highly doubt the computer had time to save them before the power went out." The man said.

I nodded.

"How will we know when the swim off is?" Coach asked.

"We have the phone number of the hotel all the swimmers are staying at. We'll put a call the morning when the swim off is, and we'll have the hotel contact you about it."

"All right," Coach said. "C'mon, Edward."

He helped me stand up again. I suppressed a groan. My knee was killing me, now. The pain form warm up was back, and stronger than ever.

Our walk back to the hotel was… well… _wet_. It was pouring outside, but we were all too tired to care. I, especially, just wanted to sleep for a good thirty six hours to make up for the exhaustion.

I changed out of my suit and took a couple pain pills downed with a whole bottle of Gatorade before falling asleep on my bed.

--

When I woke up, my shoulders were hurting like crazy. Not warming down last night left the lactic acid in my legs and shoulders, and was the cause for all the pain now. Why the hell had the stupid power had to go out?

It was still storming out side; I could hear the wind beating the rain against the windows, and the thunder crashing out in the distance.

I could also hear Jordan in the other bed, cursing.

I rolled onto my other side, and pulled the blanket up over my head. I was still dead beat, and I wanted nothing more than to just drop off again.

I managed to doze off once or twice, but in the end, it was obvious I wasn't gonna be getting anymore solid sleep for a few hours.

I listened to my iPod for a while, but it didn't help matters much. I just couldn't get my mind off that race last night.

How was it possible for not two, but _three _swimmers to tie, and get the _exact same time_?

It was a one in a million shot, if not greater.

We had all gone under the record, all gotten the exact same time, and the power had just happened to go out before the computer could save the times?

That was just plain weird

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

I groaned, pulled myself off the bed, and went to answer it. Walking hurt. I finally got why my dad wanted me on crutches- putting this much weight on my leg was _agony_.

I pulled open the door.

"Hey, Edward," Bella said brightly. "I brought someone to see you."

"Hi Edward!" Lily's bright voice chirped. She reminded me of a mini-Alice, with her hyper energy.

I laughed. "Hey Lily. Babysitting?" I asked Bella.

"Yeah. I offered to do it, though. It's her birthday next week and her parents wanted to go out to get her something special. They didn't have anyone to keep an eye on her so I said I would. It's not like she gets into trouble, anyway, right Lily?"

"Right," she chimed.

I grinned. That was so little-kid-ish, but so cute.

We went back into the room. Jordan got a real kick out of Lily. They both sat there teasing each other for more than half an hour. It was hilarious to listen to. One minute, Jordan's asking what she swims, the next they're going back and forth over which race this past week had been the best to watch. Lily was sticking up for my four hundred I.M. and hundred fly, Jordan thought his two hundred back had been way better.

Actually, his two hundred back had been a really good race. He'd placed first over Dimitri and had set a new world and American record. It was pretty cool when he told me about it.

Bella was watching me as I listened to Jordan and Lily, I could tell. I knew she was nervous about my knee, and the lasting effects from that race. Not warming down because the power had been out was stupid, and it could have lasting effects on my muscles, like the soreness.

After they had been there a while, Lily found the article I had left on my bedside table. I guess she saw it. Bella had said there was a great picture of my swimming fly, and another going off the block. She squealed randomly in the middle of her and Jordan's conversation, and I heard the ruffling of newsprint as she grabbed it.

"There was another article in the newspaper this morning," she told me. "Front page. This one looks better though. That one was just about the stupid swim off."

I bit back a laugh. "Lily, the swim off isn't stupid. It's my last chance to get on the team for the hundred fly."

"But you're already on the team," she told me.

"Not for the hundred fly. It's one of my best events."

"That's dumb. You shouldn't have to swim every event three times."

Bella laughed as I tried to explain. "But Lily, if they took the top two seeded swimmers in the nation, there could be a swimmer still here in America who's times are actually faster and since they hadn't had that one last shot to prove themselves, they didn't make the team."

"But in other countries, they take the top two seeded swimmers."

"Yeah, but here, we have to prove ourselves to get on the team. It's a much better method of finding out who the fastest is as of that very moment."

"Oh… it's still stupid. You hurt yourself doing it."

"It's only stupid because I hurt myself?"

"Maybe… yeah, pretty much."

Jordan laughed. "But it's the best way of finding out who the fastest swimmers are."

"So? Edward shouldn't have gotten hurt!"

"Lily, I just aggravated an old injury, it's nothing."

I knew Bella shot me a look.

"It was enough to make you collapse!" Lily protested.

I shrugged. "Yeah, it was. But did you hear about what happened at Nationals about seven months ago?"

"No, what?" she asked eager for a story.

"I choked on some water and collapsed then, too." I smiled a little at her sound of shock and disbelief. "It doesn't take a lot to make me pass out."

"It still shouldn't have happened," she muttered doubtfully. "Right, Bella?"

Bella laughed. "Sorry, Edward, I gotta side with Lily on this one. You knew your knee was bothering you. You shouldn't have swum."

I mock groaned. "Is everyone against me now?"

"No, of course not," Bella told me. "I'm ecstatic that you made the team in the four hundred. I'm just saying you shouldn't have swum. Your knee was bothering you in the ready room. You knew something was going to happen."

"Yeah, well, I thought we already established this. I'm an idiot when it comes to deciding whether or not to swim."

"You're not an idiot!" Lily scolded me.

"Trust me, Lily, I can be. I definitely was that night. Maybe if I hadn't swum, I wouldn't be hurting so bad right now."

"Your knee hurts?" Lily asked softly.

"Yeah, it does. A lot."

"Still? From the four hundred?"

"Not from the four hundred. From walking around on it, falling down the other day on it, and warm up last night. Plus the two hundred."

"You're right." She told me. "You _are _an idiot. Even I wouldnna done that when I was hurt a couple years ago."

"But your getting better, Lily. I'm not. My knee just keeps getting worse. My dad says I'll need surgery to fix it."

"You're gonna get better," she told me determinedly. "I promise. You gotta get better."

"I dunno if it will, Lily," I told her gently. "I really don't know."

"But it has to!" she told me, her tone getting angry. "You're _Edward_! You never let _anything_ stop you! _Anything_!

I laughed half-heartedly. "Lily, how much do you know about me?"

"Everything I could find." She said. "I know your parents were killed, I know you went blind in a car accident, and that there was no way to save your vision, I know that stupid Fyne kid is your enemy, and I know that you've never let anything stop you! That's why you're here, competing in the Olympic Trials to be the first blind swimmer ever on the U.S. team!"

"Lily," I said softly. "There's a lot more to it than just that."

"What do you mean?" she asked, bewildered.

"I had therapy after my parents died with Fyne's father," I told her. "I was four years old, in the worst depression my father had ever seen, and… somewhat suicidal for awhile." I didn't know if she knew what suicidal meant or not, but

"But swimming helped with that!" she told me viscously.

"You're right, it did. It stopped the nightmares. But when I went blind, they all came back, except they were worse. I got depressed again, and I much as I tried, swimming couldn't even help as much as I wished it would. It finally did, though. I focused more and more during practice, swam in more meets, and finally felt like I had a reason to keep living."

I knew Lily was watching me. "But- but you never wanted to kill yourself, right?"

"No, never," I promised. "I just thought about it a couple of times when the depression was really bad."

"Don't ever think like that again," she scolded me again. "I don't want you to die. Seeing you fall and hurt your knee was enough."

"You tell him, Lily," Bella laughed lightly. I knew she was trying to distract Lily from everything I had just told her. It was a lot for one kid to take in. Hell, it was a lot for anyone to take it. "Maybe he'll listen to you."

I laughed. "I probably will, actually." i didn't want to do anything to upset Lily. She looked up to me... at weird as that still seemed. I didn't want to let her down.

"Really?" Lily asked.

"Don't worry, kiddo. I wouldn't do anything now to hurt myself." I told her honestly. I knew she knew I was telling the truth, and I really meant it. I didn't want to hurt myself anymore. I hadn't for almost ten years. "I'm not depressed, anymore, either. I got over that a while ago, too."

"Good!" she said. "You're too awesome to get depressed or wanna die."

Jordan started laughing. "Nice one, kid."

Lily laughed, too. Bella and I both joined in. It was weird to think that Lily looked up to me, but I liked it. Her obsession, on the other hand, could get pretty comical.

We joked around like that all day. I didn't tell Lily anymore about my past, I mostly asked about hers and how she had become so attached to me.

Bella had to take her back to her parents around six. I couldn't believe we had hung around and talked all day.

I fell asleep way earlier than I normally would have, but I'd been taking pain pills every four hours since I'd woken up this morning.

Sometime after I fell asleep the fricking phone on the nightstand started to ring. It woke me up a little, but just enough to tell Jordan to get it before rolling over and falling back asleep.

"Edward," Jordan said, way too loudly, after a couple of minutes. "The swim off's tomorrow night at seven, okay?"

I groaned. "What time is it?"

"Like, nine o' clock at night."

"Mmkay." I mumbled, and buried my head deeper into the pillow.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt _awful_. My head hurt, my knee hurt, virtually every part of my body hurt, and I didn't know why. Normally when my arms or something hurt after a meet, it would go away after a day.

I dry swallowed a couple of Advil, too tired to even get out of bed to get some water. I curled up and tried to go back to sleep, but the pain only worsened.

Finally, I dozed off, barely escaping the pain in sleep. God, why wouldn't it go away?

My knee hurt worse than ever, throbbing in time to my heartbeat. Even my head didn't hurt that badly.

The next thing I knew, warm hands were shaking my shoulder.

"Edward?" Bella's soft voice asked. "C'mon, Edward. You've got a little more than four hours till that swim off starts! We gotta get to the pool soon."

I groaned. I had completely forgotten about the swim off.

"You're kidding me, right?" I asked.

I felt Bella sit down on my bed.

"Edward, do you feel all right?"

"Not really." I told her. There was no point in lying.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Dunno."

Bella's warm fingers pressed against my forehead. "You're not hot, but you look out of it."

"Hurt," I mumbled, burying my head deeper into the pillow. "Everywhere."

"Like where?" she asked softly.

"Shoulders," I muttered. "Knee. Head."

"are you sure you wanna swim, then?"

I groaned, and sat up. "Guess I gotta. There's no way in heaven or hell I'm letting Dimitri win."

"but Edward, if you don't feel well…."

"I'll live," I snapped. "Bella, I'm fine, really. I promise," I added in a softer tone.

"Edward…."

"Really, Bella," I told her, yawning. "I'll be fine once I get back in the water."

"Okay," Bella said doubtfully. "I really don't believe that but whatever. If you so much as cough once when we get to the pool, you are so not swimming, got it?"

"am I allowed to complain about my knee?" I asked, standing up and stretching.

"Yeah, go ahead. I can't really scratch you for that," Bella said seriously. "Both you and your coach would murder me."

"Yeah, we probably would."

I went into the bathroom and changed. As I stretched my arms out a bit, they didn't hurt as much. I guess just lounging around all day yesterday hadn't done my muscles any good when they were used to at least two serious workouts a day.

I grabbed a towel shoved it unto my backpack and pulled on shorts and a t-shirt. We weren't gonna be there long.

I walked back out and sat down on my bed, feeling a lot better than I had earlier.

"Better?" Bella asked.

"Yep. I'm so ready to kick Dimitri's ass."

I knew Bella was grinning. "good. I'm ready to finally watch him realize your better than him."

"Trust me, I've been waiting for that o happen since we were like, seven. It won't happen."

"You never know," Bella pointed out.

"You're right, I don't."

"So why ignore the possibility?"

"So I don't get my hopes up."

"Trust me, that's not something you hope for. It's something you just have to prove. Right now. In front of everybody."

I grinned, and rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Let's just go. Coach is gonna have a heart attack as it is, might as well not prolong his suffering."

Bella laughed. "That guy is so uptight."

I shrugged. "He's just nervous. I would be, too, if one of my swimmer's kept doing something stupid and hurting himself every other day."

"Half of it wasn't your fault."

"No, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Exactly!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, keep on thinking that."

I walked downstairs with her and down the street to the Qwest center.

I was right; Coach was ready to wring my neck. The race started in about three and a half hours, which only gave me an hour to warm up and still have two hours for prep.

Warm up was a five hundred swim, followed by another two hundred freestyle and five fifties to warm my arms up.

When I climbed out, I almost fell over and back into the water. My knee was killing me, just a constant pain. I ground my teeth against it, and walked with Coach and Bella to the ready room.

My stomach was in knots, I was so nervous. I couldn't eat anything, or drink anything. Just the smell of food made me feel sick, and the Gatorade in m bag, though extremely watered down, was still way too sugary.

Bella taped my knee up for what I preyed would be the last time at this meet. I was so sick of the exhaustion and the demanding races. I couldn't help but think maybe the practices at the training camp would help my knee out a little.

I had to be seriously going insane. I knew that wouldn't happen. A month of rest would help my knee, not putting it under more stress.

I changed into my suit more than an hour before the race was set to go off. I was bored, and more nervous than all my past races combined.

I stretched each muscle as long as I could, and it still wasn't enough to kill time. I was left with more than twenty minutes of spare time.

I was jumpy. Every small noise made me flinch. I couldn't take the wait any longer. I was tense, and ready.

I was ready to seriously kick Dimitri's ass for everything. Everything he had done to me since we were four. This went back as far as I'd known him, and I just wanted to prove to him, to everybody, that I really was better than him. He needed to know that. the whole fricking _world_ needed to know that. They needed to know that just 'cause I was blind didn't mean I couldn't still win against swimmers who could see. That didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was going as fast as I possibly could, and _beating Dimitri_. Making the team didn't even matter anymore. I wanted to show him once and for all I could beat him.

Bella gently touch my hand. "Edward, your race."

I nodded once, grabbed my caps and goggles and walked out with her onto the pool deck.

The lanes were set up weird. They were basically set up the same way they were two nights ago. Michael was in lane four because he had the fastest time going into the finals, Dimitri was in lane five, and I was in lane three, which for this, was way on the outside. I'd have to get a strong lead fast to avoid swimming in Michael's wake.

I pulled my t-shirt off, and my shorts, before quickly snapping my cap down over my hair, pulling my goggles on, and my second cap.

I could hear people everywhere. The race was set to go off a couple minutes after seven. Unfortunately, the stupid news broadcasters wanted an interview _with each of us_, since the race would take less than a minute. There was no way of getting out of it, and it was gonna be torture.

"Men's one hundred meter butterfly," the starter said.

The official blew the whistle.

I climbed up on the block, pushed my goggles into my face one last time.

"Swimmers, take your marks," the starter said.

I did, and every muscle in my body was tense, waiting.

_Bee-bee-bee-b-._

Every muscle in my body screamed to go, but I knew better. That wasn't the start. That was the starter malfunctioning.

Thankfully, I didn't hear a splash as another swimmer took off. Good. It wouldn't be fair it Michael or Dimitri had been disqualified. That wasn't the way I wanted to win.

"Step down, boys," the official yelled.

"What the hell?" I heard the starter hiss. "It was working fine ten minutes ago!"

Of course. They check the starter before each session, making sure it worked fine and things like this didn't happen.

I clutched the sides of the block as I stepped down. It did something weird to my knee, and made it start screaming in agony.

I sat down heavily on the chair behind the lane. I wasn't gonna stand there when my knee was putting me through this much frickin pain. 'Sides, it could take a while to get the starter ready.

I sat there rubbing my knee for god knows how long. Every time they tried to start it, it just did that weird triple bleep thing and died again somewhere in the fourth one. I figured something was screwed up with the wiring, but I doubted that would work out. The computers would be going haywire if that was the case. Right when the starter went off, it started the timing system. If that was the case, they'd know what to fix. Or at least have an idea. And no one was complaining about the timing board and computers.

Nope, it had to be the actual starter itself.

I assumed they brought another one out, because after about ten minutes, you could hear two different two starters going off, one sounding normal, one doing the triple bleep and cutting off the fourth.

It took a couple minutes to unhook the old one, and set up the new one. At least, that's what I assumed they were doing. It was the smart thing to do, instead of standing there for an hour trying to fix the starter.

They set off the new starter a couple of times. I guess it did what they wanted to do, like starting the clocks, because I couple minutes later the official came by telling us we were gonna start in three minutes.

My stomach tightened nervously. I took one long slow breath after another, but it didn't help much. I wanted this to be over with. This whole thing. Everything with Dimitri, the stupid meet, everything.

"Men's one hundred meter butterfly," the starter said.

The official blew the whistle, and I climbed up on the block for the second time.

"Swimmers, take you marks."

I bent down, and griped the block, keeping as much weight on my front leg, keeping it off my left. My knee was all ready bothering me. I didn't need to make it worse.

_Beep_.

I pushed off hard, hitting the water in perfect streamline, kicking underwater as hard and fast as I possibly could.

Seven kicks and I was at the surface, taking my first stroke, not daring to breathe at all.

It was fifteen strokes to the other side. I had finally dropped that last stroke, admitting that I didn't need to take sixteen anymore.

Three strokes to the wall, I took my first breath of the fifty, gulping down a little water in my desperation to get my head back in the water as soon as possible.

I hit the wall, did the best, fastest Texas turn I had in me, and shoved off, back underwater, giving eight fast, hard as hell dolphin kicks that hurt my knee.

It was seventeen strokes to this wall. I gave the fifty all I had, taking long, hard, fast powerful strokes, not even bothering to breathe but once.

I put all the energy I had left to the last seven strokes, coming in to the wall hard and fast, hitting the timing pad at a full extension, as hard as I could.

I leaned against the wall, breathing hard. I pulled my caps off and threw them onto the deck. I leaned my head against the wall, satisfying the lungs with long deep breaths of air. I had given the race everything I had in me.

Now I just had to know if it was enough.

The crowd was frickin _roaring _in the stands. Seriously? Couldn't they shut up? I like the way it had been two nights ago. Dead silent.

"Edward!" Michael's voice called from his lane.

I used the wall to pull myself over to the lane line. "Yeah, man?" I asked.

"That was insane," he said. "The way you raced… man, I think that was the best race I've ever swam in."

I grinned a little. "What was your time?"

"A forty nine ninety three." He told me. "Nothing compared to yours, though."

"My time's faster than that?" I asked, disbelief creeping into my voice. "You're kidding."

"Nope. Forty nine oh nine."

I blanched. "That's fricking _insane_."

"Hell yeah it is," Michael said. I could tell from his voice he was grinning. "Set a new world record and everything."

I nodded. "You'll be at the training camps right?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Both my dad and my Coach wish I weren't but there no way they can stop me from going."

Michael laughed. "I'll see you there."

I heard him climb out.

I pulled myself out, the soreness of my shoulders and knee hitting me the same time gravity did.

I used to block to pull my self upright, and walked straight into someone.

"God, Cullen." Fyne sneered. "Watch where the hell you're going."

"Get out of my way and I won't have to." I hissed right back. I wasn't afraid of him anymore. He couldn't do anything to me.

"Yeah whatever, like that'll ever happen."

"We had a deal, Fyne. If I win you leave me the hell alone. I did, now get the hell away from me."

He snorted. "You don't really think I'd honor that, do you? Surely you've learned by now?" I heard him take a step closer to me. I took a step back, trying to get away from him. "You _never mess with me_."

You took another step closer to me, and I took another step back... I felt his hand push against my shoulder and….

I fell backwards.

**Argh sixteen frickin pages. Good enough? Anyway I didn't get stuck with babysitting after all. Before I gotta start my homework, one last note. I've posted the songs I have on my play list for the fic so far on my profile. You can go check them out if you want.**

**Later guys. I **_**gotta**_** know what you thought of this chapter, okay? Review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey guys. I'm sorry 'bout the cliffhanger last chapter. It couldn't be avoided. It gave me a great basis for this chapter, and it kept you all wondering. Anyway, we got stuck with a two hour delay after our awesome five day weekend. This chapter took forever to come up with, so I'm sorry if parts of it are a bit… dry. **

Chapter Twenty Five

I crashed back into the water, my knee wrenching sickeningly beneath me, making my stomach roll as the pain crashed over me. I fell hard against the lane line, the rungs cutting into my back.

It knocked the wind out of me. I was stunned for only half a second, then I was swimming back to the wall, breathing hard, trying to catch my breath and ignore the persistent throb of pain.

I tried to pull my body up out of the water, and back onto the deck, but the pain was so unbearably _bad_ that it wasn't possible. I crashed back down into the water, breathing fast, desperately trying to catch my breath.

"Want some help?" Fyne asked sarcastically as I leaned against the wall.

"Hell, no," I hissed, biting back a yell of agony as I tried to climb out again. "You'd probably try to drown me again. That one time six and a half years a go wasn't good enough for you, was it?"

"No, because you didn't drown last time!" he shot right back. "Maybe if you had we wouldn't be in this mess!"

I managed to pull myself up on the pool deck. God damn, did my knee frickin hurt. I was surprised it hadn't caused me to pass out, it was so bad. Then again, just sitting there on the deck, I could feel my head starting to spin a bit.

I stood up, clutching the block for support, the world swaying around me as I put a little bit of weight on my leg.

"You just can't leave me alone, can you?" I muttered, clenching my teeth against the pain. Where was my dad when you needed him? "You always have to screw up my life just to make yourself feel better."

"Of course," Fyne said, glee and sarcasm creeping into his voice. "How else am I supposed to get entertainment?"

"Oh, so now I'm your entertainment?" I asked. Okay, we were at a frickin _swim meet_. Where the hell were the officials?

"You always have been. It's not like I just decided to make you my entertainment yesterday. You've been my entertainment for fourteen years." Figures. Only someone like Dimitri or Aro would find pleasure at my pain. Well… Tanya would fall under that category too, but that was another story.

I bit my bottom lip so hard it started to bleed as another wave of pain crashed down on me. "Good to know," I took a tentative step away form the block, grinding my teeth together at the pain. "Now move."

I shoved past him, and tripped, catching myself on my bad leg. Pain shot up my leg and I crashed down to the pool deck, gasping. Why the hell did this keep freaking happening to me? In this past week, I'd been put through so much of Dimtri's crap, anymore of it and I was going to snap.

"That's enough!" I heard someone shout.

I struggled up onto my hands and knees before I was overcome by the dizziness.

"You okay, kid?" another guy asked, helping me stand up.

I nodded, closing my eyes against the dizziness.

He helped me walk the last couple of steps to the chair set up behind the block. I sat down with a low moan, my hands clutching at my knee, desperately willing the pain to stop.

"You sure you're okay?" the guy asked.

"Argh. No, not really," I groaned.

"Is your coach here?"

"I- yeah. He's upstairs, though."

The guy said something unintelligible, and I heard the beep of a two-way.

I sat there for what felt like an eternity.

"Edward!" I heard Bella say, really close.

I let out another groan as she took my hand. God, was I hurting.

"Edward, I am so sorry. The news crews and the officials… it was like freaking hell just getting over here. What happened? I didn't see everything…." Bella sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"Dimitri," I muttered.

"Figures," Bella hissed. "What'd he do to you?"

"Sorta pushed me in the pool…"

"I saw him trip you, but I didn't see that."

I shoulda known. Of course it had been Dimitri that had tripped me.

"Edward?" Coach asked.

I groaned again. "Yeah?"

Coach let out a sigh of relief. "You okay?"

"If I was okay Coach, I wouldn't be sitting here. I'd be warming down."

"Good point. Think you can walk?"

"Argh, hell no. It hurts way too damn much."

Coach helped me stand, and rapped my arm over him shoulders. I leaned heavily against him, all the nervous energy from before the race gone. I was exhausted. I just wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep like I was dead.

He helped me hop- yes, I seriously _hopped _like a frickin rabbit, it hurt that much to put weight on my leg- to the ready room.

I collapsed against the message table, dead tired.

I heard Bella sit down next to me. She wrapped her warm arms around me comfortingly, and I leaned my head against her shoulder.

"Edward, there's no way I can get a look at your knee with that suit on," Coach told me.

I groaned. You had to be kidding me. "I gotta change?" I didn't wanna move, I was way too comfortable. I didn't wanna go through that agony again, either.

"'Fraid so."

"Can't it wait till we go back to the hotel?"

"I don't want you walking around on it."

"I'll hop."

Coach laughed mirthlessly. "I don't think so."

"You suck, Coach."

"I'll live."

"Can you at least go get my dad?" I asked. If Coach had to have a look at my knee now, my dad should at least, too.

"Sure," Coach said. "C'mon, Bella."

Bella reluctantly let go of me. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes," she promised me quietly.

I nodded.

She handed me my shirt and shorts, and I soon as I heard the door close, I changed out of my race suit and back into my drag suit, pulling my shorts on over top. Screw the shirt. I was too tired to deal with it, especially if I was just gonna have to take it off again to warm down.

I sat on the massage table for a while, almost falling asleep just sitting there. My week had caught up with me, and I was ready to just crash for as long as possible.

The door opened quietly, and three sets of footsteps walked in.

Bella's warm skin pressed against mine as I heard her sit down next to me again, and warp her arms around me once more. It felt good just sitting there with her.

She murmured something to me the exact same time my dad said, "I'm gonna take the tape off all right?"

I nodded tiredly. It was gonna hurt when he touched it, but I really didn't care. I just wanted the constant agony to stop.

My dad was careful though, and he undid the tape slowly doing his best not to touch my skin and the swelling.

I let out a long breath when all the tape was finally gone. God, did my knee hurt.

"Argh, dad, can't you do anything to make it stop?" I asked, closing my eyes against the pain.

"The pain?" my dad asked, pressing his cold fingers against my skin, making me jump and curse, "Sit still, or it's going to hurt a lot more." He reprimanded me before answered my question. "I doubt it. Probably the only way you're gonna be able to fix this is surgery, the damage is that bad."

"I'm not getting a surgery done this close to the Olympics. It'd keep me out of the water for too long and I don't think I can take that. The Opening Ceremony's in exactly twenty five days, swimming starts in twenty six. i don't have the first prelims till the twenty eighth of July but still... that's not enough time."

"I know, I'm just saying that's probably the only way you're going to be able to fix this." He touched my knee lightly, his cold fingers barely brushing the swollen skin, but I still jumped and moaned.

"That hurt?" he asked, surprised. "I barely touched it!"

"Hell yeah, it did," I muttered.

"What happened when you were pushed back into the pool?" my dad asked sharply.

I shrugged. "Wrenched my knee, I guess. And cut my back up a bit on the lane line, but I mostly felt the pain in my knee."

My dad let out a groan. "I swear to God, you need to be kept in your own plastic bubble so that nobody can hurt you, and you can't pose as a danger to yourself. You have your knee brace?"

"Yeah. I think it's in my backpack."

"I'll grab it," Bella said.

"Does that hurt?" My dad touched a really sore spot and pressed down.

"Ow! God damn, dad, yes!"

He quickly pulled his hand away. "Sorry."

I took a long, shuddering breath. "It's fine."

"You sure?" my dad asked, putting the brace on and tightening it so I could barely move my knee.

"Yeah dad, I'm sure."

It seemed to take forever for him to get the brace as tight as he wanted it to be. Every time he tightened it a little too much, I would jump a mile and he wouldn't me able to do anything until the fresh waves of pain finally went away.

"What about the camps?" I asked him.

"Do you know what sort of sets they'll have you swim?"

"Hard ones," I said. Coach had given me an idea of how intense the workouts would be, just harder than the ones I was used to. They hadn't been out of my ability before the Trials, but now… now I had no clue if I was going to be able to take the rough sets.

"Perfect," my dad muttered sarcastically. "Just what you need, another chance to hurt yourself and do more damage."

"Cut the sarcasm, dad, that's my thing."

My dad let out a little laugh. "I guess it is."

"You think I'll be able to take the workouts?"

"I don't know. You tell me. Do you think you can handle them?"

I hated it when he did that. Instead of giving me a straight answer, he'd ask me instead. Like I was ever a good judge of my limits. Just look where my horrible judgment had put me- a world a serious hurt and mind-numbing pain.

"Ugh, dad, seriously? Not this again."

"Just answer the question."

"Fine." I muttered.

It took me awhile to think. Could I handle the workouts? Yeah, I could probably put up with it, but I'd be taking the pain pills like there was no tomorrow. If I said I couldn't, then I had no clue what would happen. I'd probably still have to do the workouts, which was fine with me, but I wouldn't have to do the entire workout session. I didn't want to cut the sessions short, but if they were gonna be as intense as I had been told they were, I knew I wasn't going to be able to take it. The pain would kill me before the end of the practice.

Either I said I could handle it, or I didn't. Both had their pros and cons… I just didn't know what side I was going to take.

I wanted to swim the workouts everyday, but just thinking about them made my knee hurt. But I also knew that if I didn't swim them, I'd be set up for ridicule.

I knew what the smart choice was. But I also knew what I had to do. I had to swim the whole workouts. I'd deal with the pain. I'd put up with the constant questioning about it and my sanity. I'd find a way to deal with it.

"I can take 'em." I finally said, almost regretting it. Almost. "I can put up with it."

"You're positive?" my dad asked.

I nodded. "Yeah dad. I'm sure I can."

I could deal with the pain. It couldn't be any worse than what I was going through now.

"Coach?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"I'm not going that god damn interview."

Coach laughed. "Never expected you to in the first place."

--

Ten o' clock the next morning, each and very one of us who had made the team were taking our seats on the plane. I was sitting in between Coach and Bella.

My parents were going back to Chicago with Emmett and Alice, and would be flying to England the day of the Opening Ceremony.

For the next month, it was just me, Coach, Bella, and the eight coaches running the whole thing.

Lily had stopped by the hotel this morning before we left. She handed me a piece of paper, claiming to have drawn a picture of me and her swimming in the ocean with a seeing-eye whale swimming with us. I'd tried (and nearly failed) not to laugh at the whale. It was so cute that she had drawn it for me… but seriously, a seeing-eye whale? That was just so Lily. I'd hugged her, and she swore she'd see me in London. I grinned and said I hoped she would be there.

She had made me promise to do well in London, and that even if she couldn't be there to watch, she was still going to watch on T.V.

Right before we had to leave, she had started crying. Her tears had soaked the shoulder of my t-shirt, but I wasn't mad. I could never get mad a Lily.

The picture was tucked into the pocket of my sweatshirt. I knew I'd never forget Lily. It had been awesome that I had gotten to meet her, and I knew she would accomplish everything she had wanted to do, whether it was swimming or anything else she wanted to do in life. She was just like that- determined and impossible to deter from her goals. I couldn't think of a single thing that would stop her from anything she wanted to do. Nothing would be able to crush her spirit.

Bella and I both fell asleep during the flight, her head resting against my shoulder and mine against the seat.

The impact of the landing jarred us both awake- one minute I was asleep, oblivious to everything with Bella's head resting against me, the next, I had been jolted awake, Bella's head off my shoulder.

Awhile later, we were getting our room assignments in Palo Alto before dinner and a team meeting at six.

I was sharing a room with Michael, Jordan and… Dimitri.

Great. The next couple of weeks were gonna seriously suck.

The room had two separate bedrooms. I shared with Jordan again. I pitied Michael for having to share a room with Dimitri. I knew that if it was me, I'd be sleeping on either the floor or the couch. There was no way in hell I was gonna sleep in the same room as him. I'd turn my back for one second and wake up in Siberia or something.

We headed down to dinner early, and even still, we weren't the first ones there. I could hear people everywhere- coaches talking to other coaches, coaches talking to other swimmers or their swimmers, swimmers talking to other swimmers.

Dinner and the meeting afterward went fast. Before we knew it, we were all heading back upstairs to get a good night's rest before practice at eight the next morning.

It was weird actually being able to sleep in till six before having to get up and get ready for practice. Coach had always been a morning person, and he'd always wanted me at the pool by three thirty, ready to swim. Sleeping in till six was like sleeping in till noon for most people- a luxury.

Right when I woke up, I knew my knee was going to be a pain. It hadn't bothered me too much yesterday, but all the tormenting pain it had held back form me yesterday came in full force.

I grabbed the bottle of pain meds out of my back and took a couple. I didn't need to prove my dad right on the first day of the camp.

I ate breakfast before changing into my suit and shoving my towel into my backpack. By then everyone else was awake and doing the same things I was.

Around seven forty five, we all headed down to the pool. The four men's team coaches spent the first half-hour giving us a lecture before letting us get into the pool.

The sets were hard- warm up alone had to be at least fifteen hundred meters. The sets were mixtures of distance and sprints. Before we could warm down, we had to do thirty two hundred meter sprints, on a minute thirty, I.M. order. The sets before it hadn't been hard, but thirty two one hundreds was a lot.

The eight hundred meters of breaststroke that entitled were, to put it bluntly, sheer hell. By the last hundred breaststroke I had to swim, I could barely climb out of the water before the first group of swimmers dove back in.

I could tell Eddie was picking up on my pain, too. After the thirty two one hundreds, he had us do an eight hundred easy. Before I jumped abck in the water, he asked me to talk to him after practice.

I swam the eight hundred slow, letting the water cool my muscles down as well as the easy pace.

We all finished the eight hundred around the same time. I could hear other swimmers climbing out, and their caps and goggles hitting the pool deck.

I pulled myself out of the water, exhausted. The three hour workout had left me in desperate need of ice and a long nap.

I pulled my towel out of my backpack, dried my hair off fast, and draped it over my shoulders.

I knew Eddie was waiting for all the other swimmers to leave before he started talking to me.

But Jordan and Michael were both waiting for me.

"Go," I told them. "I'll catch up later."

I heard their footsteps fade as they walked around the pool deck.

Finally, Eddie spoke.

"How's your knee?"

I pulled my t-shirt on. "It's been better."

"Those thirty two hundreds were giving you trouble." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah. Doing dolphin kicks are starting to bother my knee more and more and breaststroke is just all out torture."

I pulled my shorts on, and shoved the towel back into my backpack before taking a long gulp of water, almost draining my entire bottle.

"I watched your races at the Trials," he told me suddenly. "You've got real talent. And a determination that interferes with your common sense. not to mention real drive to do that."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." I said.

"Maybe it is," Eddie muttered. "C'mon, I'll walk back to the hotel with you."

"Why is it a bad thing?" I asked. I lacked common sense; I'd known that since I was twelve. Deciding things was not my strong point, especially when it involved when and when not to swim.

"It really isn't. But when I watched you get back on the block for that four hundred and set a new world record, and then I watched you climb out of the pool, I knew you were seriously hurting."

I nodded at the memory. "Yeah, I was."

"And that swim off the other night… you have an incredible fly, probably the best technique I've ever seen. What that other kid did to you after the race wasn't what should have happened."

"Fyne and I… don't exactly get along too great."

"That much is obvious," Eddie laughed as we walked out into the sunlight.

I shrugged. "I've put up with it for almost fifteen years. It doesn't really bother me anymore."

"That's good." Eddie and I walked in silence for awhile. "You said breaststroke and dolphin kicks both bother your knee?"

I shrugged. "Everything bothers my knee. I could be asleep, completely dead to the world, and it would still hurt. I put up with it."

"If your knee starts to give you any problems during the next month, tell me or one of the other coaches, especially if it happens during practice. We'll let you climb out and you can rest it and keep ice on it till it feels better. And you know, you don't have to absolutely kill yourself during the practices. Really take it easy and just swim the sets trying to focus on certain aspects of your stroke. The speed can wait till the sprints. Right now all we're doing is getting you guys in top form for London."

I nodded. "Thanks."

"Your coach is a real good guy," he told me. "All last week he was freaked out about you, wondering if he was doing the right thing in letting you swim all those races. He didn't like watching you put yourself through it. I'd be surprised if he wasn't having nightmares about it."

"That bad?" I asked.

"It was pretty bad, but I guess it could've been worse."

I nodded. "Coach gets like that sometimes… he's pretty paranoid."

"He was just worried. All the things you were putting yourself through were killing him. I know if one of my swimmers was doing that, I'd forcibly scratch them, screw whatever meet it is."

"Coach knew I'd murder him if he did, no doubt about it."

"I believe it," Eddie laughed. "I'm glad he didn't though. Watching you swim was probably one of the best things I've ever done. You're an amazing swimmer." We walked into the cool air-conditioning of the hotel.

I grinned. "Thanks."

"Take it easy today, all right?" he told me. "And if anything bad happens to your knee during any of the practices in the next month, you aren't getting back in the water till our last practice in England before we go to London. I want you completely ready for these Games, not ready to skip a race because of the pain."

"I'll remember that." Like that would happen. If something happened during practice, the only way they were gonna find out is if I passed out in the middle of the pool. Still… it was cool of him to offer it. "I'd never skip a race, you know." we started climbing up the steps.

"I'll say. You proved that in Omaha." Eddie laughed. "But if that injury gets any worse, you might not be able to swim in London, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know," stupid knee. Now it was messing up not only the training, but my chances of swimming in London if I kept up with the training.

"Get some rest," he told me, finally. "I'll see you tomorrow."

--

I fell asleep for a couple of hours, before waking up god knows when and grabbing some lunch.

I listened to Michael and Jordan play Risk for about an hour. We all got into arguments during the games. Even though I was sorta half asleep during the arguments. It was hilarious.

The pain meds I had taken with my lunch had finally dulled the persistent throb in my knee to a dull ache. It was better than it had been earlier, but it still hurt.

"Edward, tell Jordan he's an idiot," Michael said. "There's no way-,"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Hey, Edward, you wanna get that?" Jordan asked, distracted. They were both completely immersed in the game.

I groaned. I so did not want to move. "You're closer."

"How the hell-?" I knew what he was gonna ask before he even finished the question.

"The sound of your voice," I explained slowly. "It's farther away than Michaels, so your sitting on the far end of the table, which is closer to the door."

"dude, that's just creepy."

"No, it's common sense, which you obviously lack."

Michael laughed. "He got you there, man. 'Sides, he shouldn't be walking around too much. It'll put a lot of stress on his knee- walking to and from the pool is enough stress already."

"Thanks," I said as Jordan mumbled something. All the same, I heard his chair scrape back against the linoleum, and his footsteps walk away.

"Hey, Edward, your girlfriend's here."

"Then move away from the door and let her in," I called back. "Even _you _could've figured that one out, Jordan."

Bella laughed, the sound making my heart stop for half a second.

"Nice one," Michael said.

I heard Bella and Jordan walking back towards the table.

"Just ignore Jordan, Bella," I told her. "The chlorine has finally gone to his head."

Bella and Michael started laughing again. Even Jordan joined in.

"You mean the same way I keep saying about you?" Bella asked, laughing.

"Yeah, but his is worse. I still have my common sense."

"Nice to know you all think so highly of my mentality," Jordan muttered, but he was fighting a laugh. "C'mon, man, let' get back to out game."

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, Bella."

I stood up, and we walked into my room.

I collapsed against the bed, and pulled her down next to me.

"You look beat," she observed.

"Ugh, I feel beat."

"Hard practice?"

"I could've done it a month ago, but now…" I groaned. "I just dunno, anymore, Bella. I just don't know."

She pressed her warm skin against mine. It felt so good, just lying there with her next to me. I was comfortable, and the closeness was perfect.

"You said you could do it," she reminded me gently.

"I didn't know that they'd hurt that much."

"And Jordan's the one without any common sense? I can't believe you guys." Bella sighed. "Edward, if it gets to be too much, you know you can always just climb out. I'm sure Eddie wouldn't mind…."

"You're right, he wouldn't," I pressed my face into her hair. It still smelled a little like chlorine.

"So why don't you?"

"I can take it." I played with a strand of her hair.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Playing with your hair?" I said.

She laughed. "No, stupid, I mean what are you doing at practice that's making you hurt so much."

"Ugh. It was fine till those thirty two one hundreds."

"Isn't that like, eight for hundred I.M.'s?" she asked.

"Yeah. Thirty two hundred meters of torture."

"Dang," she sighed, and pressed her head against my shoulder. "I really wish you wouldn't do this to yourself."

"I really wish it wouldn't hurt so much every time I tried to do something," I said. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop."

"I never expected you to. As Lily says, you're _Edward_, the prince of stubbornness."

I laughed. "You came up with that yourself."

"So? The Edward part was all Lily."

I laughed. "I guess so."

We were quiet for awhile. If it hadn't been for her uneven breathing, I would've swore she'd fallen asleep.

"Let's do something tonight," I said.

"Hm?"

"You know, like go out to dinner and go for a walk."

"That sounds good." I knew she was smiling. "What time?"

"Around six?" I asked.

"Mmkay," she sighed.

--

Ten till six, I was dressed and waiting in the living room. Bella said she'd be down at six so we could leave.

Right as my watch went off six times, there was a knock on the door.

I grabbed the door, shouted I'd be back later over my shoulder, and walked outside.

I kissed Bella softly before grabbing her hand. "C'mon."

She laughed. "Where are we going?"

"I dunno yet." I said. "Wherever you want to."

We walked around for awhile, talking about anything and everything non-swimming related.

As we sat down for dinner, Bella asked, "What were Michael and Jordan arguing about?"

I laughed. "Everything imaginable that could be argued over."

Bella laughed. "Like?"

"One time, they were arguing about the game, another about what Jordan should eat for lunch," I shook my head. "They're both insane. I don't know how I'm going to put up with the both up them."

"And Dimitri?" she asked, worry creeping into her voice.

"Hasn't given me any trouble," I smiled. "Don't worry, Bella."

"I'm always going to worry, Edward," she told me. "_Something_ always seems to happen to you to make me worry."

"Something doesn't always… no, wait, your right. Something does always happen to me."

"See my point? I personally liked your dad's idea," she said.

"Of sticking my in a bubble? Great."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"I actually listen to you, Eddie, Coach, and my dad and actually take it easy the next month?"

"Okay, yeah that is a better idea." She told me.

We talked about lighter subjects all through out dinner, mostly joking around about Jordan and Michael. We couldn't help it; the both of them were just so… insanely hilarious.

We paid and left.

"Let's go for a walk," we both said at the same time. I felt her look at me, and we both started laughing again.

I took her hand and we walked around town for awhile. I didn't really want to go back to the hotel- spending all this time with Bella was great. I really loved her, and I didn't want this night to end.

It was getting dark around seven thirty or eight, or at least, that's what Bella told me. We had to start walking back to the hotel.

I walked her upstairs to her room once we got back to the hotel.

"Night, Edward," she told me.

I kissed her for as long as I could. I never wanted to let her go.

After a moment that wasn't long enough, she pulled back. "You have to get up tomorrow morning, remember?"

"Yeah, but I'll live," I kissed her again.

When I finally pulled back, I could feel the heat coming form her cheeks.

"You're blushing," I whispered into her hair, holding her as close to me as possible.

"It's not my fault," she said. "I love you, Edward."

I smiled. "I love you too, Bella."

"You've gotta get some sleep," she told me. "I'll see you again tomorrow."

Ugh. Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough. "Okay," I told her. "I'll hold you to that."

"Don't worry, I'll be there," she promised, and she kissed me once more before I heard the door open and shut.

I headed back downstairs. I knee hadn't bothered me all night, and I was sorta glad about that. All the same, I didn't want to leave Bella.

As I was walking down the hallway, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Edward." The all too familiar voice said.

Aro.

"What do you want," I said, not even bothering to turn around.

"To talk to you."

"Too bad, I don't want to talk to you."

Her grabbed my arm. "You think I care?" he said harshly.

I jerked my arm away. "You should, but then again, since when have other people's problems ever mattered to you?"

I started walking again.

He grabbed my shoulder and pushed me back against the wall.

"You'll hear what I have to say," he said.

"In your dreams," I muttered.

He pressed me harder against the wall. "Look, Cullen, you're lucky I don't kill you right now," he said. Whoa, _kill_ me? Was this dude insane? "But of course not. That would make too big a mess, no. I won't kill you now." He sounded like he was mumbling to himself more than threatening me.

"Kill me?" I asked. This dude _was _insane.

"You never heard that," he said, his voice creeping towards threatening.

"Hell, yeah I did!"

He hit me, hard, right in the eye. I fell as his released me. He kicked my hard in the side. "Tell one person, _one single person_, that you heard that, and _I will kill you_."

"Why?" I gasped.

He kicked me in the knee. The pain was so bad, I could feel myself start to black out a bit.

"You beat Dimitri," he told me, the usually sweet gleefulness returning. "Dimitri should have won."

Yeah, right, like that was the only problem he had with me. There had to be more to it than that. This went deeper than just some stupid race, much, much deeper.

"One person," he reminded me.

I groaned as I heard his footsteps fade. This dude was completely mental. Why couldn't the both of them just leave me well the hell alone?

I managed to stand up, my side aching, my knee burning, and limp the rest of the way back to my room.

I put the card in the lock, and staggered inside and too my bedroom.

I collapsed against the bed, and heard Jordan say something.

"What?" I asked, grabbing one of the pillows and pulling it over my face.

"I said, dude, what the hell happened to you? I thought you were going out on a date, not to some pro wrestling match where they beat up the audience."

I groaned. "The date part was awesome. The walking back downstairs… not so much."

"You fall or something?"

I remembered Aro's words. I didn't care if he was going to follow through with them or not. I wasn't gonna risk it just yet. The memory was still too sharp. "Yeah."

"Want some ice?"

"God, yes." I moaned as another wave of pain crashed down on me.

I heard him walk away.

Another set of footsteps walked into the room.

"Edward." Whoa, did I just hear _Fyne _call me by my first name? that was something that hadn't happened since… well, _ever_.

"What do you want, Fyne?" I asked harshly. "Come to finish your father's work?"

"He did that to you?" he asked, surprised, his normal cruel composure dropped almost entirely, only a slight hint of it still lingered in his voice. "No. I just want to talk to you."

**Evil? I know. I'm sorry, but I gotta get ready for school, and after staying up till like, one in the morning last night planning out that ending after I watched the real world… I didn't think I could go a whole school day with out posting it.**

**Review guys! See you Saturday!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hey guys. Once more, I am sorry for the completely evil cliffy, but I had to go to school, and that's right where my thought process dropped off the other night when I fell asleep. Sue me for being dead tired after practice. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter Twenty Six

I bolted upright, ignoring the pain in my side. "You're kidding me right?" _Fyne_, actually trying to be nice? Actually trying to talk to me like a civilized person? I didn't know it was possible.

"No, I just wanna talk." His usual contempt was starting to saturate his voice again. "That is, of course, if you have no objections."

_Jerk_, I thought harshly. Still Fyne, being _civilized_?

"My dad did that to you?" he asked roughly.

"Did what? I'm fine."

"Oh, puh-lease. You've got one hell of a black eye going for you."

Damn, already? "I fell. It ain't that hard to believe."

"Yeah, okay, whatever. I don't have to be doing this, you know."

Doing what? Being a sarcastic bastard in serious need of an attitude adjustment that we all knew would never happen?

"Do what?" I asked, caution obvious.

"Apologize for my dad?" he said, his usual rudeness back and in full effect. "But, hell, it ain't my problem, now is it? Put up with it yourself, that's what you always do anyway."

"Why would _you_ want to apologize for _anything_?"

"Why do I do a lot of things? For kicks, dumb ass."

I rolled my eyes. Figures. He was messing with me.

I pulled the pillow off my lap and pressed it back against my face as I laid back down.

"Go away, Dimitri," I heard Jordan say. "Here's some ice, man."

I sat up again, and took the ice from him. I pressed it against my knee, which was, by far, definitely hurting the worst.

"I can be in here if I want and 'sides, it's not like you could do anything to me. Either of you."

I heard Dimitri mutter something I couldn't hear, and then I heard his footsteps walk away.

"Okay, man, the psycho's gone. What really happened?"

"Trust me, you don't wanna know."

"Dude, seriously, what the hell happened?"

"Fell."

"Yeah, right. You couldn't give yourself a black eye falling. At least… most people couldn't."

Black eye? Damn it. i was hoping Fyne had been kidding.

"You wouldn't believe half the stuff I've done falling."

"Yeah, okay, whatever man, if it happens again, you ain't getting off that easy."

"Yeah, sure."

I fell asleep sometime later, completely wiped out.

--

I had a hard time getting up the next morning.

When my watch went off seven times, I was still trying to go back asleep. The soreness from yesterday's stupid thirty two hundreds and that beating I took had set in, and getting up and moving around didn't seem like too good a prospective at the moment.

Finally, though, I had to drag myself out of bed. I wasn't going to miss practice.

I ate breakfast and changed before taping my knee up. Michael and Jordan were at it again, this time arguing about some game of poker they had been at till eleven last night.

We walked downtown to the pool. Jordan was going on about how he hoped today's practice wouldn't be as bad as yesterday. I couldn't help but silently agree with him. That had been pure sadistic torment.

We got to the pool and stretched out with every other swimmer before getting in and starting the workout.

Actually… it wasn't as bad as yesterday's had been. One of the hardest things was thirty one hundreds sprint on two minutes, odds free, evens our best stroke. We were given almost a minute rest for the whole thing because they were only supposed to be about three or four seconds off our personal bests. It took about a full hour to complete the whole thing, and, hard as it was, it didn't bother my knee at all. My side did every once in a while, but it was nothing compared to what I thought it would be.

When I climbed out at the end of practice, I was ready for lunch and a long nap before meeting Bella again tonight.

I walked back to the hotel with Jordan and Michael, the game of poker finally forgotten.

Back at the hotel I changed, tore the tape off my knee, and downed three sandwiches and a huge bottle of Gatorade before falling asleep.

When I woke up, I could hear Jordan and Michael arguing and making jokes. I figured they were playing some game again. It seemed to be all they did- play games to pass time. Then again… it probably worked pretty well, neither of them were high strung… but I was pretty sure neither of them had to deal with some psycho and his completely mental son.

I rubbed my eyes tiredly, still feeling like I hadn't gotten enough sleep.

I rolled over, and tried to get some more sleep, but my thoughts started racing, pondering.

What the hell had happened to that scoreboard in Omaha? Three swimmers getting the exact same time was unimaginable, not to mention the starter malfunctioning. I couldn't believe the power had gone out of its own accord, and if it actually had, was were the chances that it had to have happened right after the race, and before the computers had had the chance to save them?

Even more so, why the hell did Aro want me _dead_, of all things? Off the team I could understand, but frickin _dead_ was just plain….

Even worse, I couldn't even think of a good reason for him to want to kill me. Yeah, okay, I beat Dimitri. Big deal. A twelve year long rivalry was no reason to threaten to kill someone. Nor was anything that had to do with swimming.

This ran deeper than that. No sane person would threaten to commit homicide for a stupid race… wait, did I just consider _Aro_ to be sane? I had to be losing it.

How much deeper exactly… I wanted to know. I'd never met Aro before my parent's deaths… but Carlisle hadn't contacted him, either. He'd approached Carlisle at work, apparently.

And my parents… they had worked for the government… but they had never explained to me exactly what it was they had done.

And that first therapy session… Aro had acted like he _knew _me, though I definitely had never seen him before that day. The way he seemed to know everything about me, and exactly how my parents had died. He had tried to get me to describe what the killers had looked like, but I couldn't place their faces, only their clothes. He had asked me exactly what they wore, and when I described it, it was like he already knew.

Finally, though, I'd been able to remember the face of one of the guys. Again, Aro seemed to already know who it was. It wasn't like he said the guy's name or anything… but he just seemed to know, like my life had been some T.V. show, and he had already watched the episode I was recalling repeatedly.

It was so _frustrating_. I knew I had never met Aro before that first session, yet he seemed to know every thing about me. I knew that the starter had been tampered with, especially since it had been working perfectly, as the starter had said, only ten minutes before hand. Something like that wouldn't have happened. Normally, the starter would act up when it'd been out of use for a long time, not after only ten minutes. It wasn't unheard of, of course… but with things as high tech as they were at the Trials, it had mostly likely been tampered with. But for what reason? Why would someone- anyone, for that matter- want to delay the start of a swim off? They were nerve racking enough….

But… if the delayed start had been used to make the other swimmers that much more nervous, or perhaps false start and DQ, or even to make us add time because we may have believed that the starter wouldn't go off right again, and wait till we saw (or in my case, heard) the other two leave before diving in, adding anywhere from a half to a whole second to our times….

And of course, the scoreboard. How the hell had that one happened? I didn't know if it was possible to mess them up, but I knew it definitely had been tampered with. There was just no way three swimmers could have gotten the precisely exact time. It was rare enough for two.

But how could you fix a scoreboard, cut the power at exactly the right moment so that everyone in America had seen the times, but the computer hadn't had time to save them right when thunder cracked to make it seem like the storm was the reason for the outage, and mess up a starter, all in the time span of two days?

And the hundred fly had been the last final. The scoreboard had been working perfectly before that, it had to have been.

Unless someone had been able to fix it in those, what, five, six minutes? That would take someone who knew exactly what he was doing, had done it before, and knew his way around the system.

This was just too much. I needed to talk to someone about it.

My watch went off five times just then. I remembered that Bella and I were gonna meet up around six… what was one hour earlier?

I got dressed, and walked upstairs to Bella's room, knocking lightly on the door.

I heard the door swing open.

"Hey Edward," Bella yawned. "Oh my God!"

"What?"

"What the _hell_ happened to your eye?"

"Little run-in last night."

"When?"

"About thirty seconds after we said good night."

"I-but-who the hell would've done this?"

"You seriously just asked that?"

"Oh, Edward. You didn't yell or anything?"

"Nope."

"Idiot."

I shrugged.

"C'mon." she grabbed my hand. "What happened exactly?" I heard the door shut as she dragged me inside.

"Long story."

"I'm not going anywhere."

I sat down on the bed with her. "Aro... attacked me last night."

"Attacked?"

"For lack of a better word, yes."

"I didn't mean it like that," she said. "Define attacked."

"Slamming me against the wall, punching me in the face, kicking me in the side, and in the knee, not to mention the verbal beating I took."

"Edward…."

"I'm sick of this," I told her. "I'm sick of everything. This guy just can't get the hell out of my life. He's always doing something, anything. I've had enough of it." I leaned forward, and put my face in my hands.

"You've been through a lot," she said softly.

"Too much, Bella, just too much."

"Edward, you can't give up now," she told me. "Not now."

"I've had enough, Bella. I can't put up with anymore. Fourteen years, do you know what it's like to have one guy ruin your life for _fourteen years_?"

"Edward, please, don't say you've given up," she begged me, wrapping her arms around me. "Just… don't. I don't think I can take it."

"It's like I'm drowning," I whispered. "Every time I'm about to make it to the surface, he's there to push me right back down. The only thing keeping me alive is the life guard that keeps saving me before I get pushed back under."

"It really feels like you're drowning?"

"Worse," I mumbled. "The only thing keeping me going is the life guard."

"And that life guard would be…?"

"You," I told her. "I don't want to drown anymore, Bella. I want to learn how to swim."

I pulled her even closer to me. "It just gets to be too much sometimes, you know?" I said. "When I can't take it… I can't take it. It's like I've finally stopped breathing."

"Never stop breathing, Edward," Bella whispered. "It'd suck to have to do CPR."

"What, you wouldn't give me mouth-to-mouth?"

"Of course I would. I just never, ever want to have to see you that weak, that vulnerable." Her voice shook. "Edward, you're the strongest, most dedicated person I know. If you give up, I'll give up. Nothing has ever been able to stop you before. Why now?"

I sighed, long and shuddering. "I don't know."

"Never give in to it, Edward," she whispered. "Never. That's what he wants. What they both want. If you give in, it'll be just like your dying, and nobody knows how to save you. Even I won't be able to do anything to bring you back. I never want to see you drown."

"I never want to drown again." I whispered. "I just don't think I can do this anymore."

"Edward, when you swim, there's no denying it, you're you. After a hard practice, or an awesome race, it's like there's this missing part of you that just clicks into place. If you give up, on life, on swimming, on anything, that piece won't be there anymore. You'll just be this empty shell."

"What am I supposed to do, then?" I asked.

"Stay strong, and just don't give in to him. Ever."

"I don't think I can do that."

"Edward, I know you can. Just like at the beach, where you have to ride out the waves, no matter how rough the surf is."

"Then the surf just turned into a storm surge," I muttered. "He threatened to kill me, Bella. How am I supposed to ride that one out?"

That rendered her speechless.

"I- Edward," she said after a minute or two. "How could he-?"

"Easy. He slammed me against the wall, dropped me, kicked me in the side and the knee, and said it."

"Why would he want to, though?"

"I think it's because something happened… back when I was really little… before my parents were killed, or even before I was born… that made him hate me so much."

"How could he hate you before you were born?"

"Something my parents did? Like I know. But… that's the only thing that really explains anything. I don't know why my parents were killed, who killed them, or even how Aro knew me before those god damn therapy sessions, but I know he had something to do with all this. Every thing. My parents, the scoreboard at the Trials, every thing."

"Scoreboard?" Bella asked, her confusion obvious. "What do you think he did to the scoreboard?"

"Like hell if I know. I just know that it seems highly unlikely for three swimmers to get the exact same time, for a storm to cut the power off just before the computer has the time to save the times, and still leave the board working perfectly for the other finals?"

"That was weird… you don't think someone who actually was running the meet knew how to do it, do you?"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. How else could someone have been able to fix the scoreboard in a matter of five or six minutes? They'd have to have had experience with the thing, and known exactly how to rig it."

"Is it even possible to rig them? Wouldn't they need to mess with the touch pads, too?"

I hadn't thought about the touch pads. "Yeah, you're right, they would."

"The touch pads were in the water the whole time, though," Bella told me. "How could they rig them, and still have kept them in the water?"

"I don't know," I said tiredly. "Some sort of computer science?"

"Do they take the pads out of the water at the end of a session?"

I frowned. "Not usually. If the pool is going to be open to the public afterward, they'd have to, but this pool was set up specifically for the Trials. The boards wouldn't have been removed till they took the pool down and had to unhook everything."

"Then I have no idea how they could've screwed with the timing system."

"Neither do I. I also don't believe that the storm cut the power."

"Got any ideas about that?"

"Yeah…" I said slowly. "I do, actually. the storm was probably just a coincidence, since you can't change the weather, but the scoreboard and all was rigged so like, maybe if one of us touched, the time would flash up for all three? i don't know if that's possible but... and then there was probably some guy was waiting to cut the power lines right when he got the signal from Aro, and right when he saw a flash of lighting, since light travels faster than sound, cut the lines right when the thunder hit? and then, maybe, they messed with the starter to unnerve us at the swim off?"

"That's pretty well thought out."

"I had a hard time getting back to sleep a couple hours ago."

"But… I would believe it," she said. "That's exactly the sort of thing he would do."

"That still doesn't explain the timing system."

"Not everything is going to be explained in one night," she told me gently.

"I've been waiting nearly fifteen years for half of the answers. I'm sick of waiting."

"You'll find out soon," she told me. "He can't hide the answers forever."

"We don't know that. He's been able to hide them this long."

"I'll help you find them. I promise."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

I sprawled out on my back across the bed. "I don't wanna move."

I felt Bella curl up as close to me as she could, her head resting on my chest. "Then don't. I have no problems with you sleeping over."

"What about practice tomorrow?"

"You don't think I can have you up in time to make it to the pool?"

"I do… but my suit and all."

"Ugh. You can leave here around seven thirty. Not a moment before then. I never get to see you anymore!"

"You saw me last night," I reminded her.

"Not for long enough," she told me. "What, three hours?"

"_Eternity_'s never gonna be enough. I could listen to your voice, your laugh, everyday for the rest of forever, and it would still sound the same it did the first time I heard you speak. "

"Forever will never be enough," she agreed. "I could look at you for my whole life, and never need to see anything else. You know, you remind me of a Greek god, sorta."

"Not. I think you're finally going insane."

"You have serious self opinion issues."

"I'm just realistic."

"Then call me fantastic, because I'm pretty sure that there's a god lying next to me."

"And I'm pretty sure there's an angel falling asleep with her head against my chest."

"Now who's the fantastic one?"

"What? Angels exist! How else could I be in love with one?"

"Whatever. If your angle's exist, then so does my Greek god."

"yeah okay, sure. How about I just go and ask my old mythology professor? I'm sure he'd be able to settle this." I said, adding as much sarcasm to it as possible.

"you never took mythology!"

"What, so now you're stalking me?" I laughed.

"I'm not stalking you!"

"No, seriously, how did you know that?"

"I could hear the sarcasm in your voice! I'm not deaf, you know!"

"No, just completely absurd."

"Whatever. Go to sleep, pool boy. You look completely wiped out." She pressed her ehad deeper into my chest.

"What time is it?"

"Like six something, maybe seven."

Isighed tiredly, and buried my face into her soft, strawberry smelling hair. "Good night, Bella," I whispered.

I fell asleep listening to her long, even breathing, thankfully to have her in my arms once more.

--

True to her word, Bella woke me at seven the next morning. Of course, that didn't mean I was ready to roll right out of bed and jump in the pool.

Around seven thirty, I finally got up. She walked back downstairs to my room with me, and I kissed her quickly before slipping back into the room.

Jordan was still asleep in our room. I took a quick shower. Maybe he'd think I got back way after he went to sleep, and got up really early.

I dried off fast after my shower and change into a pair of pajama bottoms before grabbing some breakfast. I hadn't eaten anything since lunchtime yesterday, and I was _starving_.

I at almost an entire box of cereal, a couple things of yogurt, and a bowl of random fruit I had tossed together.

I heard the other guys waking up just as I was cleaning up. They were getting seriously late starts, it had to be about eight fifteen or eight thirty, and we had to be at the pool at nine.

I changed into a Speedo, shorts and a jacket before shoving a dry towel into my backpack along with a full water bottle. The Michael and Jordan were just starting to eat breakfast. I could hear them talking bout some game last night they had watched on television that had run late.

I dropped my backpack by the door to our room, and walked out into the living room.

"Where were you last night?" Jordan asked.

"Upstairs with Bella; we kinda fell asleep around seven or something."

"You fell asleep? You spent like, five hours sleeping yesterday afternoon."

"The practices are rough. And sides, you didn't have to swim in that stupid swim off like Michael, Fyne, and I did. That thing was brutal."

"Good point. I got an extra day or two off." Jordan relented. "But still…."

"Listening to the both of you wears me out."

Jordan laughed. "Okay, I give up. You have good reason to be tired."

"Speaking of Dimitri…" Michael said slowly. "Have you seen him around lately? He left yesterday sometime after you did, and I know he never came back last night."

"Nope."

"if he skips out on practice, Eddie's gonna be pissed." Jordan mumbled.

"Hell yeah he will."

My alarm went off. "I'll see you guys down at the pool."

"You're leaving all ready?"

"Yeah. Fifteen minutes and practice starts."

"Crap! Dude, you're right. We gotta get ready."

I rolled my eyes, grabbed my backpack form my room, and walked downstairs through the hotel to the street.

It was a couple blocks to the pool. I finally had the way memorized. About four streets away, not too far.

My watch went off again at eight fifty. I only had two more streets to go, so I had plenty of time.

Behind me, I could hear footsteps, and not those of a passing pedestrian. They stopped when I stopped, and when I started walking again, they followed behind me, almost out of earshot, but not quite.

One more street to go, and I could hear the footsteps getting way closer. They were maybe only a stride or two behind mine now, but I was so close to the pool.

The steps got even closer, almost directly behind mine.

I heard the person grunt and….

Something heavy struck me across the back of my head, causing blinding pain. I felt myself fall forward and hit the ground before I passed out.

**Okay, last evil ending for a little while, I promise. At least for a couple chapters, anyway.** **Sorry it was so short, I've been watching the complete first season of one tree hill all day and I am completely addicted. Lucas is soooo awesome.... can you blame me for being in love with him? **

**Poor Edward. Anyway, later guys. Review, i wanna know what you guys thought!  
**


	27. Chapter 27

**-Yawn- hey guys. Man am I beat. I have two really big meets these next two weeks and practices have been killer. Anyway, I've stayed up really late getting this chapter done, and I hope you guys like it. Oh, and thanks for all your reviews, guys! The response for the last chapter was the largest yet for any chapter posted! Thank you, guys, sooooooo much!**

Chapter Twenty Seven

I woke up, freezing, completely disoriented, and in probably the worst freaking pain of my life. I was lying on something really hard, and rough, like concrete or asphalt or something, and cold. It had to be like forty degrees in here.

Where _was _here, though? Where the hell was I?

Then the sharp memory hit me- walking down the street to the pool, the footsteps following me, the _pain_…

I tried to move my head a little bit, and let out a low moan- God, did I hurt. The back of my head was throbbing, my knee felt like a million white hot knives were being shoved into every square inch and my sides felt like they had been beaten by baseball bats. Heavy baseball bats. Every time I managed a breath, they burned.

The constant throbbing in my head was reaching a crescendo, almost blocking out every other pain.

I reached up and rubbed the back of my hand across my eyes, coming back to my senses a bit. Where was I?

I shifted uncomfortably and couldn't stop from groaning. God damn, did I _frickin hurt_.

Not too far off, I could just make out the sounds of voices. I strained hard, and managed to catch a little bit of their conversation. It sounded like they were arguing.

"- don't see why you had to go and take the girl. The plan was to take Cullen and get the hell out of Palo Alto _before_ anyone noticed."

"Well, soh-rry dad," the second voice retorted sharply. "It's not my fault. She's hot. And besides, what do you think we're gonna use to keep Cullen here? A doll?"

"Nonetheless that wasn't part of the plan!" The first voice nearly shouted. "You could have given everything away!"

"Yeah, but I didn't. They're both unconscious, and now you're arguing with me about things that never happened."

"I don't care what your motivations were, you almost ruined everything. You weren't waiting for me with the truck. Someone could have seen what happened. I have not spent the past fifteen years setting this whole thing up for you to go and ruin it!"

"Yeah I know, dad. What did you have against the Masens, anyway? What'd they ever do to you?" the second voice asked. "I really doubt whatever it is is really enough to kidnap Cullen."

"Then you know _nothing_ about the Masens, boy," the first voice barked.

"So then tell me about them. It's not like Cullen'll be waking up anytime soon. Nor will his dumb girlfriend. We have time to kill."

"you don't need to know what went on between me and Elizabeth Masen."

_What the God damn hell_?! What the hell went on between him and my mom? I strained my ears harder, trying to catch everything the said.

"I think I do, dad." My lethargic brain started to recognize the second voice as Dimitri's, which meant the man he was talking to had to be Aro.

For once, I had to agree with Fyne. What the hell had gone down with him and my mother?

"It's not fo-"

"If you want me to help you hold them hostage, then you'll tell me, or else I'm just gonna go back to Palo Alto and train. They've probably missed us by now. We leave for England in a week, and I need to be ready."

"fine," Aro hissed. He was silent for amoment. "we should check on Cullen and the Swan girl, make sure they're still knocked out."

"yeah, 'cause it's _so _necessary for you to whack them over the head with a baseball bat again," Dimitri said snidely. "Trust me dad, they're probably still out of it. And if they are awake, they'll live. Let them suffer a little."

"Damn it, Dimitri," Aro yelled venomously. "You know I can't do this without your help."

"My point exactly. Either you tell me, or I get the hell out of here, because, believe me, there are things I rather be doing than hanging around in some old warehouse with _you_."

I heard Aro let out a low stream of words I couldn't make out. "Elizabeth Masen was my fiancée."

Oh my freaking _God_ in heaven, I had to be hearing things wrong. There was no way my mom could've been engaged to him. That just wasn't possible. What would anyone see in him? What would my mom see in him?

"That's repulsive! You were engaged to _her_?" Dimitri shouted. "Wait… what happened? Why aren't you guys still, you know, together?" he asked in a quieter tone.

"She ran off, that's what happened," Aro screeched, actually hurting my ears. "She ran off with Masen, got knocked up and married, and had their precious little bastard. But of course, that wasn't enough. Their whole _happy_ little family moved back to Chicago and _everywhere_ I went, she was there with her darling new husband and their god damn son."

"what did you do when they were murdered? Wouldn't your life have gone back to normal? You wouldn't have had to see her anymore…."

Silence.

"Oh, God, dad! You didn't?"

More silence.

"_You killed the Masens_?"

As soon as Dimitri said it, I knew it was true.

All the same, my heart stopped. My blood ran cold. My breath caught. Aro had been the one to kill my parents?

"Hell, no, I didn't kill them," Aro hissed. "The dumb asses I hired to didn't finish the job I paid them for. The Masen's stupid little bastard survived."

"_You paid people to kill the Masens_?!" Dimitri shouted. "You're insane!"

Aro only laughed. A deep, blood-curdling laugh. "so what if I did? Do you _know_ what those five years put me through? The heartache, the torment, the mental torture, everything? It ate away at me, until there was nothing I could do, nothing I could say, except for kill them. That was the only solution. Kill them and their little brat. Get them out of my life."

"That still doesn't explain anything! I hate Cullen, but I would never kill him."

"_I didn't kill them_!"

"you as good as killed them."

"No. no if I had killed them, you never would have had to worry about Cullen, you could have those world records, you could be on the team for the same events he's on it for. You could have had everything he had."

"What if I didn't want everything he has, dad? I'm fine with just making the team in backstroke and freestyle. At least I have a shot to get on the relays!" Dimitri was quiet for a moment. "What about mom and me?"

"You don't want to be in on just those, now do you? You want everything he has. I was just trying to make it easier for you."

"I'm fine with what I'm, stuck with! Cullen's on the team, I'll live. Big deal. At least I was fast enough to make the team! What about mom and me?" he repeated.

"I didn't want you to just make the team in those, though. I wanted you to make it in everything. Everything you could have."

"how did you even know Cullen was going to be good at swimming?"

"I didn't. At that point in time, I just wanted all of the gone, so they'd finally stop haunting me."

"But what about me and mom?" he asked a third time.

"Your mother never knew. When she left, she still didn't know. To this day, she doesn't know. You were just four, maybe five, years old at the time."

"When did you meet mom?"

"I was seeing her when Elizabeth and I were engaged. We were just friends at the time but… it evolved into something more. A month later, she told me she was pregnant."

"How much older than Cullen am I?"

"Ten months or so."

All was silent after that.

Aro had killed my parents. Or as good as, anyway. He was the one to have people go into my house, and murder them while I was forced to watch. What sort of sick, twisted person did that to a four year old?

More importantly, I should've been killed that night, but I wasn't. The cops had shown up just in time to save me from that, I was sure of it.

But still… _he had frickin ordered people to kill my parents_. _He had been engaged to my mother_. I didn't know which one was harder to accept. The fact that he and my mom had been together, or the fact that, five years later, he had ordered my mom and my dad to be killed. He had ordered me to be killed.

A low sound distracted me from my thoughts.

"Edward?"

Bella. My heart leapt a little, only to be dragged down by what I just heard.

"I'm here, love."

"Do you know what happened?"

"No." I whispered.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice close to normal tone.

"Bella, keep your voice down-"

Footsteps. Two sets of them.

I closed my eyes. God, did I hope I looked like I was still out of it.

Sharp pain flared up my leg. I fought the urge to yell.

"Still out of it, are we, Eddie?" Aro's singsong voice taunted me. "Or are you just playing?"

He kicked me again, harder than the first pain. I could barely contain the yell that threatened to escape. All the same, I still moaned.

"I thought so. Go on, boy. Open your eyes, and let me know you're awake."

I kept them shut, trying my hardest to ignore him, to act like I was still knocked out.

"I said, _open your eyes_."

_Not happening_, I thought. I braced myself for the pain.

It never came.

Instead, I heard a muffled thump, and Bella let out a low groan.

Fury coursed through my veins. He hit her. _He had hit her_.

I shoved myself upright, ignoring the pain in my side and my head.

"Never touch her again."

"I won't have to. I just want to talk."

Yeah right. I wasn't falling for that again.

"Where are we?"

"That's not something you need to know."

I frowned. "Let us go then."

"Not happening," Dimitri sneered.

"Eddie, you're not going anywhere for awhile." Aro added.

"Don't call me that." I hissed instantly.

"I'll call you what I want." He retorted sharply.

"What do you want?"

"To talk."

"You needed to abduct me for that?"

Aro laughed, the sound sending chills down my spine. "There's much more to it than just that."

Okay….

"What's today?"

"You don't need to know that, either."

Argh, he had to be kidding me. It had been the third day of training… the sixth. So it had to be like, the sixth or seventh… maybe the eighth. The entire team was flying out to England the fifteenth… so that gave me maybe nine days maximum to find a way to get the hell away from here, and still mange to catch the plane to England for the last week of training before the Games started.

"What do you want?" I asked slowly, almost warily.

I heard him move, and felt his hot, sticky breath as he talked, right in my face. "I want to know why."

Why what? What the hell… oh, God.

"Come on, Eddie, it really isn't that hard," he taunted. "I want to know why."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied.

"I think you do."

I stayed silent.

"Answer me."

_Not in my lifetime_.

"_Answer me_!"

Searing, agonizing pain shot up my leg as pressure was forced down on my knee. I did my best to bite back a scream, but I couldn't.

The pressure never went away, and after a moment, I realized _he was standing on it_.

"Get off," I moaned. "Please, just get off."

"Answer me."

"Fine."

The pressure vanished, but the pain remained, sharp and brutal, a thousand times worse than it had been earlier.

"Tell me."

"I never knew," I whispered hoarsely. "Never." My parents had been pretty secretive, I realized. I never knew where they worked, never knew if they had had any past relationships, and I definitely never knew how they met each other.

"Liar."

"I swear, I never knew."

"Why did she run off?"

"_I never knew_!"

"You know," he whispered dangerously. "I know you know."

"I don't."

"_You do_!" he screamed, his voice almost sounding desperate. "_You have to_!"

"I don't."

I felt his sticky hands wrap around my throat, forcing all the air out. "Tell me why."

I coughed, and clawed at his fingers. What the hell was he trying to do? If he killed me, he'd never find out, for the love of God… not that I knew anything for him to find out.

But if he killed me… at least my suffering would've been short.

But he still would have Bella.

"She loved him," I managed to cough. "More than she could ever love you."

"Take that back!"

His fingers vanished, and I coughed a couple more times, rubbing my throat, catching my breath. "It's true."

"_Liar_."

"I wouldn't lie about that."

"What did she see in him?" he asked harshly.

How the hell was I supposed to know this? I had been four at the time!

I improvised. "He was smart, and actually had a life out side of stalking her." Okay… maybe a little too far….

"I didn't stalk her." His voice was low, but not very well contained, and it had a dark, threatening edge to it.

"Then why did you kill her? You stalked her, I know you did. You stalked the three of us."

"_I didn't kill her_."

"You hired people to, which is just like you doing the job yourself. You couldn't have killed her yourself, you loved her too much. You still do. But you thought that hiring people to do it wouldn't be as bad. We'd all be out of your life and you could go on and forget her. But you can't. Her memory haunts you every day." Which is why you want me out of the way, I added silently.

"Watch yourself, boy. I _made _you."

Made me? What the hell?

"What?"

"I _made _you. What are you deaf as well as blind?" he told me snidely. "If I hadn't killed your parents, you wouldn't be where you are today."

I thought that over. He had a point… if he hadn't killed my parents, I may have never have gotten involved with swimming… or I may have, but there probably wouldn't have been that drive to prove myself… to rid myself of the nightmares and train harder than most teenagers would have when I was just a little kid. Swimming wouldn't have been such a huge part of my life; it wouldn't have had to have been. I highly doubted I ever would have made it to the Olympics without that determination and hard work I'd put into it to rid myself of the nightmares and mental torment I went through every day. I never would have needed to train very hard… it would've just have been something I _did_. There never would've been any reason for it.

I probably wouldn't have had gone blind, either. I wouldn't have ever been in that car wreck.

If he hadn't killed my parents… I'd still be living with them…. I never would have met Alice and Emmett… and I probably wouldn't have gone to Loyola for school… which meant I probably wouldn't have ever have met Bella….

Bella. I couldn't imagine life without her.

So many good things had come from Aro murdering my parents… not that I was willing to admit it. But still… he took my parents away from me. What he did put me through years of suffering that I was still getting over. He made me consider suicide when I was a kid. What kid should have had to go through all that? Nobody, no matter what the murderer's reasons were, should have had to put up with that. Just to wish that upon a little kid would be horrible… let alone to do it… all because of five years of contained hatred that ate him up.

He shouldn't have killed them, plain and simple. But in a way… I was almost… well, I wasn't _grateful_. I was… I put up with it. My life didn't suck, and it wasn't like Carlisle and Esme had ever been anything but perfect parents. Okay, so he tried to kill me. I was still alive, wasn't I? and I had two awesome, if not slightly insane, siblings I couldn't imagine life without.

And I knew Bella. She was one of the best things in my life. She got me on every level… she understood why I swam… she and I got along perfectly. There was so much more to why I loved her than just loving her. She was like my best friend. I got along with her perfectly. We argued about stupid things, and we teased each other… but we never really meant any of it. I loved hanging out with her, no doubt about it.

And I knew I definitely loved her.

Damn it. I didn't want to admit it, but he was right. He had made me everything I was today… sort of. He had had no idea that I would've taken to swimming the way I did. And he had no way of knowing I would've gone blind….

Or did he?

"What about my vision?" I asked slowly. "Did you have anything to do with that?"

"You don't want to know that," it was Dimitri who answered.

"Why the hell not?" I asked, rage burning through my veins again.

"You'd do something stupid if you knew."

"What? Kill the both of you? That wouldn't be stupid. That would probably be the most enjoyable thing I'd ever done." I'd never kill them… get them locked behind bars for a lifetime, sure, but I couldn't kill them. I'd probably get a lifetime suspension from USA swimming, sent to prison… the whole lot. It wasn't worth it.

"You wouldn't kill us."

"Too right you are," I answered coldly. "I wouldn't. I value my USA membership too much. But for abducting a fellow swimmer… you'd probably get sent to prison and be suspended."

"Dad, you never said…."

"Shut up," Aro hissed. "You won't lose your god damn membership. Of all the things that will happen, Eddie here will lose his precious coach."

"Huh?"

"Your little girlfriend."

Crap. I had completely forgotten about that stupid rule…. A couple years back, USA swimming had set up this whole article as part of their guidelines stating that if someone hadn't passed all the regulations, and was left with a swimmer unsupervised, the person wasn't considered an actual coach, it wasn't to be permitted.

"I'm still a member of USA swimming," Bella said, speaking up for the first time. "And I passed all the safety training. I registered as a coach back in January. It's been set up for months."

I let out a slow breathe of relief. I hadn't known that, but I was thankful she had. That stupid rule was lame… it wasn't like she was a stranger teaching a group of little kids. She was an eighteen year old girl helping out her best friend's brother.

Still… the rule had applied to it, or it would have if Bella hadn't registered as a coach.

Aro cursed darkly.

I closed my eyes. I had been ignorant to the pain all through that, but now I was slowly becoming more aware of it, the pounding in my head, the constant throb in my side… the torturous ache of my knee…. It was all starting to be just a bit too much.

I felt myself slipping away a bit, and collapse against the floor as the pain caused me to loose consciousness.

--

I woke up with a groan, and the first thing I noticed was that it was completely silent. The only things I could hear were Bella's uneven breathing telling me she was awake, and my own breathing.

I slowly blinked my eyes open, and reached up to rub them. I was _starving_. It'd been forever since I had anything to eat.

"Edward?" I heard Bella asked slowly, cautiously.

"Yeah?" I whispered.

"You don't have to whisper. They're not here."

Idiots. Who abducts people, then leaves them completely alone? Then again… who the hell knew where we were?

"They left us a alone?" I asked, pushing myself upright.

"They had to leave eventually. It's not like there's any food here."

"Ugh. Don't mention food. I'm starving."

"Sorry. I am too."

"Do you know what day it is?"

"Uh… the ninth I think."

Argh. Six days… six days and the rest of the team was flying out to England for the last training camp. If I didn't get the hell out of here in the next six days… there was a pretty good chance I'd never swim in London.

"You don't have a cell phone, do you?"

"I…," she hesitated. "I do but… it died. As soon as they left I found it and started fiddling with it, but it's dead."

I groaned.

"Can you do me a favor?" she asked softly.

"Sure."

"I want to get up and take a look around… but I'm afraid that they'll come abck and I won't be able to hear the car."

"you want me to keep an ear out for them?"

Bella laughed mirthlessly. "If you're gonna put it bluntly… yeah, that's exactly what I want. Please? I want to know where we're at… and I _definitely_ don't want you walking around."

"Sure. Just don't do anything stupid."

"That's your thing, not mine. I'm the sensible one."

I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Give a shout if you hear anything. And I mean _anything_."

I nodded. I heard her get to her feet, and walk around a little bit.

"Tell me if you find something," I said.

"No problem."

I heard her footsteps walk slowly away from me, growing more and more distant.

"Argh, there is no way freaking out of here!" I heard her call.

I heard her footsteps walk slowly back. "It's like some sort of warehouse… but there's no way out, and there isn't a single door."

"How'd they leave then?"

"I dunno."

"Any electrical outlets?"

"No… of all the times to forget my phone charger."

"Who carries their phone charger around?"

"I was kidding, god."

"Just asking…"

I heard her sit down next to me.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

"Not really. I'm freaking out here."

"The Games…" she whispered. "Oh my God… you have to go to England in a week."

"Six days."

"Six days, sorry. But still…."

"What about the ceiling?" I asked. I knew it was random… but if there weren't any doors… was there a way to get in and out through the ceiling.

"What?" Bella asked, completely surprised.

"did you look and see if there was a way to get in and out through the-," a loud rumbling cut me off.

"Car," Bella hissed.

"That isn't a car… that's a frickin truck." A large truck, at that. the vibrations were actually shaking the floor.

"There's a difference?"

"It's louder than your truck."

"Good point… my truck isn't that loud!"

"Whatever. Is this what you heard leave?"

"No… but I didn't hear them leave. I woke up and they were gone."

I heard the engine cut off, and the vibrations stopped.

"Get down, quick," I hissed, and threw myself back against the cold floor. "Keep an eye out. I want to know where thy come in from."

"Okay… what are you going to do?"

"Pretend I'm still unconscious, the same way you should."

"Gotcha."

We were dead quiet, and after about three or four minutes, there was this horrible, grating sound, like racks scraping against a chalkboard, or even nails. It hurt my ears to listen to it.

"You were right," I heard Bella breath.

"Shh," I muttered.

I heard Dimitri and Aro's too familiar voices, and that damn screeching again.

The voices were louder for a moment, then dulled again as I heard their footsteps fade. How large exactly was this place?

"Bella… how big is this place?"

"Huge… there's an office at one end… and I'm betting we _are_ underground… you were right. There is this weird door in the ceiling… button operated… and Aro has the stupid thing that opens it."

"your cell phone is dead?"

"Yeah…."

"I'm betting they have phones."

"What the he- oh my god. You aren't suggesting-?"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking."

"But what if-?"

"They won't. We'll wait till their asleep. Believe me, Dimitri is an absolute idiot who only thinks about himself. My guess is he'll leave his phone lying around."

--

"They asleep?" I asked.

"Yeah. I can hear them… they're breathing is about as even as it's gonna get. Neither of them are talking, and they're even snoring a little bit."

I nodded. She was right. I could hear the same things.

"You really think I'll be able to snag Dimitri's phone?" she asked softly.

"Yep. The guy is dead to the world when he's asleep."

"You know this how, exactly?"

"Childhood rivalry, remember?"

"When we get out of this mess, you are _so_ telling me that story."

"Only if you tell me three of yours."

"Yeah, sure. My life isn't that interesting."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Argh, we can argue about this later. Right now, we gotta get that stupid phone."

"Good point."

I pressed the handle down on the door, and pushed it open slowly, praying it wouldn't creak.

Thankfully, it swung open slowly, and I felt Bella's skin brush mine for a fleeting instant and she slowly edged past me.

"Make it quick. I'm not sure Aro is as deep a sleeper as Dimitri is."

"You might have wanted to mention that earlier!" Bella hissed through her teeth. "where would his phone be?"

"In his pocket maybe?"

I heard the rustle of cloth. "Nothing."

"Is there a desk or anything?"

"Yeah… I don't see what that would have to- oh! Found it…" she mumbled sheepishly.

"Good now hurry-," I cut myself off. One of them- I didn't know or want to find out which one- was starting to wake up. Their breathing was shallower, much like when they were awake. "Get the hell out of there!" I hissed.

I heard key tones, and Bella whispering fast into the phone. I barely caught what she was saying, it was so quiet.

"What the hell?"

Aro.

Great.

"What the freak do you two think you're doing?" he asked, his tone dark, low, and definitely dangerous.

I heard him get to his feet. Crap, we were so dead.

I heard the phone clatter to the floor.

"What the hell are the two of you doing?" Aro shouted again.

God, did I hope the phone hadn't broken when it fell and that the other person was still on the line.

"I- we-," I stuttered.

I felt his fist hit me in the chest, and I stumbled backwards, the wind knocked out of me.

"What the hell were you two trying to do?" he shouted.

"Get the hell out of here," Bella hissed.

"Dad what the freak-?" I heard Dimitri ask sleepily.

"_Shut_ up!" Aro roared.

"What the hell is your problem, Dad?" Dimitri shouted.

"What do you mean?" Aro's voice changed, it was softer, even more dangerous than when he was shouting.

"You just can't leave things alone, can you?" Dimitri hissed.

"What-?"

"I'm sick of this! Cullen's better than me, just admit it! You didn't need to freaking abduct him! You didn't need to drag me into this! I'm gonna lose my membership because of you!"

"He is not better than you," Aro growled. "And would you quit worrying about your god damn membership? _Nothing_ is going to happen!"

"You're wrong, Dad. You've screwed around with this for way too long. I can't put up with it anymore. You're risking things I actually care about for your own freaking gain. Just kill him already before the cops show up, if you have to. I'm so _sick _of this!"

"I haven't done this for me. I've done this for you."

"You're wrong. This is all because Cullen's mom ran off twenty something freaking years ago and you can't let it go!"

"I did let it go."

"Killing Cullen's freaking parents and now trying to kill him is not letting it go. Dad, you need freaking help, and I don't wanna hang around waiting and silently watching anymore. Call me when you get help. Till then, I'm out of here."

"You can't leave."

"Watch me."

I heard Dimitri rise to his feet, and push his way past me.

It was silent for a minute.

"You," I heard Aro growl.

I swallowed hard. Oh, God.

He hit me again, harder than the first time. I actually fell down.

I shoved myself back up, ignoring the pain in my chest, my head and my knee.

"Don't touch me again," I growled.

"Edward-," Bella whispered.

"Not now, Bella."

"But, Edward-"

"Bel-!"

Aro grabbed me, and threw me to the floor. I felt something cold press against my throat.

"One word, Cullen. One word and I swear I'll do it."

He had to be frickin kidding me.

I swallowed hard, and felt the knife dig into my skin a little bit. He wasn't joking. He really would but my throat if I spoke.

"Pho-," I started to say, but the knife dug deeper into my throat.

I felt the first drops of blood slide down my neck. I didn't dare swallow, to allow the blade to go any deeper…. Agony tore through my whole body as that horrible weight returned to my knee. Even the knife held at my throat didn't matter anymore. Only the pain tearing through me… the pain was the only thing that mattered, the only thing that existed….

I felt my self falling back into unconsciousness….

In the distance, I heard sirens.

--

"Argh," I groaned. The vibrations _hurt_.

Wait… vibrations? What the-?

"You okay, kid?"

I blinked slowly. "W-what?"

"You okay?"

"I- yeah I guess. What the hell? Where's Bella?"

"The girl?" the guy asked. "Don't worry, she's fine. A couple bruises, but nothing too bad. She's up front. You got the worst of it, I'm afraid."

"Aro?"

"The guy who abducted you guys? The cops just got him in their car. they left long before we did."

"Good." I noticed how hoarse my voice was.

"Kid, you seriously messed up this knee, you know that?"

"Swimming injury."

"Swimming-? You're that kid from the Trials, right? Um… Cullen?"

"Yeah. Edward."

"Dang… I knew you did damage but nothing this bad. They're gonna want to do surgery on this."

"No."

"What?"

"I can't have surgery done. The Olympics aren't that long from now and I won't be able to swim if I have a surgery done."

"You are one weird kid."

"Swimming in the Olympics is more important than my stupid knee."

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"And your parents are…?"

"Back home in Chicago."

"Gotcha. He had a knife on you, right?" the guy asked, changing the subject pretty fast.

"Yeah. Cut my throat up a bit."

"I can see that. Lift you head up a little."

I complied, and felt him press something thick to the cut and tape in around my neck.

"That'll stop the bleeding."

"Thanks."

"Mhm."

"Where are we?" I couldn't help but ask. I was just so lost… I still wanted to know what the date was, too.

"Palo Alto."

Aro was definitely an idiot, then. We hadn't even left the frickin city. I knew absolutely nothing about abduction… but weren't you supposed to take the victim somewhere they wouldn't expect to end up? Somewhere outside of the city you abducted them from?

"What's the time?"

"It's like… one in the morning."

"And the date?"

"The ninth."

Okay… so Bella and I had both been off a day.

"Where're we going?"

"Hospital, of course, you gotta get them injuries taken care of."

I coughed. "Argh. How long have we been gone?"

"Two or three days."

Damn. Two or three days without food? That had to be a personal record. I couldn't go three hours without eating something….

"What did Aro do?"

"He managed to break a rib or two. Cut you up pretty badly. I'm pretty sure you don't have a concussion, but you'll need x-rays for that one… and I dunno bout your knee."

"I'll deal with my knee."

"I'm no sure that's the brightest idea."

"I'll live."

"Weird kid," the guy muttered.

I closed my eyes. God, I was tired, and I hurt _everywhere_. How the hell was I going to be ready to swim in a couple of weeks?"

"You still with me?" he asked, pressing his cold fingers against my wrist.

"Hardly," I mumbled. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to do _anything_ to escape the freaking pain….

I heard the guy say something else, but he sounded really distant….

I felt myself escaping, leaving the world of pain behind, and falling deep into my subconscious where only two things existed aside from myself- Bella and swimming.

For once, I'd finally been able to leave Aro and Dimitri behind, to forget about them and just linger through my memories without their interference.

I was able to leave everything else behind, and just be alone with Bella in the safest place in my head, where the only thing we had to do was spend time with each other and swim.

**Not too evil right? I'm so sorry if you guys think that was. Seriously, I am. I won't be able to update for a little while though. I have these really important meets in the next two weeks, and my coach is flipping out cause of my knee, (ironically enough, I did the exact same thing Edward did… except during my two hundred I.M. instead of my four hundred… and it happened during practice) and my shoulder. So I really got to focus the next couple of weeks, and I swear I'm going to try my best to update as soon as possible, but if I don't it's cause of my meets, not because I don't care.**

**Review guys!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey guys! I'm so excited about my meet this weekend. I'm literally jumping up and down even though I shouldn't be. Only downside is i managed to catch a cold to go along with my injuries. Just what I ddin't need. Oh well. That's not going to slow me down!**

Chapter Twenty Eight

"_Get some sleep, Eddie," my mother whispered, pulling the blanket up to my shoulders. "I'll see you in the morning."_

_I yawned, and closed my eyes, falling asleep almost instantly._

_I was startled awake some time later, as I heard a huge crash downstairs, like something breaking. What in the world…?_

_I pushed the blanket back and climbed slowly out of my bed, finding my way through the dark hour to the stairs._

_I hovered around the top of the steps, too scared to go downstairs. What if mommy and daddy were fighting? I didn't want to see that. I didn't want to hear that either, for that matter._

_Screams. It didn't _sound_ like they were fighting. It sounded like they were in trouble. _

_I climbed down a couple of the stairs, and pressed my back to the wall, trying to hear what was going on without being seen._

"_Where's the boy?" an unfamiliar voice rasped._

_Were they looking for me? If they were, what was up with the screaming?_

_Who were they, any way?_

_I cautiously climbed down another couple of steps, keeping close to the wall. I could see the people now. One had my mother cowering in a corner; the other had my father pressed against the wall, a knife to his throat._

"_Eddie!" I heard my mother whisper hoarsely. "Get back up-."_

"_Her voice was cut off as the man punched her. I let out a small cry, and looked over to where my father was._

_He was lying on the carpet, a pool of blood slowly forming around him._

"_Daddy!" I yelled, running down the last couple of stairs._

"_Edward! Watch ou-," his voice cut off with a shuddering gasp._

_Edward? He never called me by my full name. Neither of them did. What were they doing? Who were these people? Why were they hurting my parents?_

"_Daddy!" I screamed running towards them, tripping. "Momm-!" I screamed as I hit the carpet._

"_Got him!" the second voice yelled._

_I tried to push myself back up, but something was holding me down. The man was pushing my face into the carpet, wrapping something tightly around my wrists._

"_Mommy!" my voice was muffled by the carpet. "Daddy!"_

_I wasn't behind held down any more; I struggled to push my self up right. I wanted my mom and ad. I wanted them to stop pretending and act like they always did. I wanted this to be over, so we could just back to the way our lives normally were. Why couldn't these people leave my mommy and daddy alone?_

_I heard my mom, begging, pleading, with one of the men. I closed my eyes, trying to block it out, trying to convince myself it was just a dream, that this wasn't happening._

"_Eddie!" my mom sobbed. _

_My eyes flew open._

"_Eddi-."_

_I watched, completely horrified and transfixed at the same time, as one of the men shoved a slick, bloody knife in to her throat. I screamed as she slumped forward, blood streaming down her neck._

"_Mom!"_

_The blood was forming a small pool on the thick carpet, what was she doing?_

_I looked around for my dad again. The pool of blood around him was seeping deep into the carpet. Mommy wouldn't be too happy about that. she'd be mad at him and make him clean it. _

"_Daddy?" I asked._

_He didn't answer._

"_Daddy!" I cried out frantically. "Wake up, Daddy!"_

_I was pushed back down to the floor when I tried to crawl over him._

_I screamed. Why couldn't they _leave_?_

"_God, shut_ up_ kid!" one man yelled. "You're next."_

_I gulped and shut my eyes tightly. Please, let this be a dream. Please._

_There was no escape. they'd do the same thing to me that they had to my parents. Make me act the same way Daddy was, sleeping and not listening… they'd cut me with the same knife they had used on Mommy, and probably the same knife that had been used to kill Daddy._

_Something warm and sticky was pressed against my throat, cutting into the skin. My head spun as the knife was pressed in deeper. _

_This was it. They were gonna kill me._

_I caught one last glimpse of my mom and dad before the darkness over took my vision._

_Through the ringing in my ears, I could hear sirens, and people shouting. I hear the shattering of and even more people shouting. This time, their comments were directed at the two men, things I couldn't understand._

_I heard frantic voices, and felt people shaking me_....

_--_

The sheets were twisted around me. I was exhausted, but I couldn't sleep peacefully. The nightmares were horrible.

I hadn't had them in ages, and they were back in full force, tormenting me.

--

_I was riding in a car. Staring out the window watching the trees flash past._

_Emmett was mumbling something in his sleep and Alice was flipping through some magazine. _

"_Gotta…use… pizza… power… gotta… get… pizza rolls." Emmett murmured._

_I glanced over at my older brother, trying hard not to laugh and feign concern instead. Sometimes, I just didn't know about him._

_My mom was having a hard time trying not to laugh, too._

"_Edward, wake your brother up. We'll be there soon."_

_I nodded, and reached across Alice and shook Emmett's shoulder. He blinked his eyes open blearily._

"_Did I get the pizza rolls?" he asked, his voice still thick with sleep._

_This time I couldn't help but laugh. Alice joined in._

"_I swear, Emmett, you have the weirdest dreams," Alice chirped._

_I nodded in agreement. _

"_My dreams aren't weird!"_

"_Still dreaming of being a superhero?" I asked._

"_Maybe."_

"_With the pizza power?" Alice chided._

"_Maybe."_

"_And that's not weird at all." I laughed, rolling my eyes, grinning at my older brother._

_I turned back to the window, still smiling a little, watching as the trees thinned out and thickened again, looking eagerly for a glimpse of the lake water beyond._

_My dad stopped the car at an intersection. I heard his blinker on. I was still watching the trees, anxious to get to the lake. I couldn't wait to go swimming._

_The car started moving again. I glanced out the front windshield as my dad turned before returning my attention to my window._

_I watched as the other car approached going way too fast._

_I stared, paralyzed with fear as the car shot into the intersection._

_I heard the crunch of sheet metal as the cars collided, heard the shattering of glass, and the sickening crunch of bone_.

_And the intense pain. It was overwhelming. Why wouldn't it stop?_

_--_

I was trapped, reliving everything, every emotion, every feeling, everything I had gone through. It wasn't enough I had to live it once. They kept coming back to haunt me. As my memories, I could see everything that had happened, right up to the moment I had gone blind.

--

"_Hey, Cullen!" Fyne yelled as I walked to where the swimmers met before practice._

_Oh god. What did he want now?_

"_What, Fyne?" I asked, dropping my back on the deck, not bothering to turn around._

"_Ready for our meet this weekend?" he asked._

"_I'm always ready to beat you."_

"_Really? Because it's been awhile since you have. Sure you aren't losing the ability?"_

"_Positive."_

"_Really? Because I think you're going to lose this weekend, whether you want to admit to it or not."_

"_I think you've been getting too close to the chemicals the put in the pool and they're starting to make you delusional, because there's no way that could ever happen in real life."_

"_You won't win." _

"_You're going to lose."_

"_I'll see about that."_

_He shoved me against the wall. "You won't be able to win if you're in a coma, now will y-?"_

"_Dimitri, what the hell do you think you're doing?"_

_He let me go. Of course, he always acted decent around Brian McDowell._

"_Cullen was starting a fight with me, sir," Dimitri told him._

_What the freak?_

"_That true?" the coach barked._

"_No! He was-." I protested._

"_I don't want to hear it. Cullen, go run laps."_

"_What?"_

"_I said, go run laps. Are you hard at hearing?"_

"_No I got that. Why?"_

"_For starting a fight at practice."_

"_I didn't start a fight!"_

"_Go. Run. Now." He hissed._

_I grabbed my mesh bag, and set it down next to my lane along with my water bottle. Might as well put my stuff there before running laps and getting yelled at for taking the time to put my stuff down._

"_Cullen!"_

"_I'm going!"_

_I felt him push me. I stumbled backward, crashing into the water, sweats and all._

_I grabbed at the lane line and pulled myself back to the wall, climbing out slowly._

"_Go run." McDowell hissed._

"_It's ten degrees outside!"_

"_Maybe you should have thought of that before you started a fight at practice. I'll be outside in three minutes. If you're not running around the track, you'll be out there the whole practice."_

_I shoved open the doors. It felt like it was in the negative outside, not the double digits._

_I walked down to the track, and started running. My wet clothes were heavy, and I was shaking in the cold. _

_I tripped a couple of times, falling to the ground. It took forever before I could stand back up again. I was freezing. Running wasn't helping my body temperature at all. If anything, it was making it worse._

_Every once in a while, McDowell would shout how many laps I'd done. It always felt like it wasn't as many as I actually had done. _

_When he said twenty laps, I collapsed on the ground, breathing hard, shaking, and hurting everywhere._

"_Get up, Cullen."_

"_No," I moaned._

"_Fine you can go join your teammates."_

"_I just ran five freaking miles soaking wet, and you expect me to go jump in the pool and swim like this never happened?"_

"_That's exactly what I expect you to do."_

_I stood up, ignoring the screaming in my muscles. "You're insane."_

_I walked back up the worn path to the aquatics complex, shoved open the doors, grabbed my backpack and mesh bag, and walked out of practice._

_I called my mom in the lobby, asking her to pick me up. I didn't tell her why._

_She picked me up. Despite the heat of the car, I was still shaking._

"_Edward? What happened?" my mom asked frantically._

_I shrugged and shuddered._

_I went home and went straight to sleep, not bother to eat anything._

_I barely woke up the next two days. I was exhausted and all the sleep in the world wouldn't be able to help any._

_I was always cold. I couldn't get warm, no matter what I did. I stopped eating. I wasn't wake long enough to._

_I was in and out of consciousness for days, remembering briefly the annoying beeping of the heart monitor._

_--_

_I was completely absorbed in my break down of proper Texas turn technique, that I hardly noticed when I collided into someone._

_We both fell; I could hear the books thump to the ground._

"_Oh, my God. I am so sorry. Are you okay?" the girl apologized._

"_It's fine. I'm fine" I felt around for her books and handed them to her._

"_No… but I mean… I tripped and I fell and-," she stammered. I stood up and pulled her to her feet._

"_I'm used to falling. I can't see where I'm going. It doesn't matter." I shrugged._

"_Oh. I didn't know," she rambled._

"_Honestly, it's no big deal. I'm used to it."_

"_You're blind?" she asked._

"_Yes."_

"_You swim, don't you?" It wasn't as much as a question as it was a statement._

"_Yes."_

"_Oh. That's cool."_

_My watch beeped again. I had three minutes._

"_Are you late?" she asked._

"_No. I still have three minutes and my class is right there."_

"_Oh. Okay. Well… I better get to class too. It was nice meeting you…" her voice trailed off, allowing me to tell her my name._

"_Edward."_

"_What, you don't have a last name?"_

"_Edward Cullen. May I ask yours?"_

"_Bella Swan."_

_Bella. It was pretty, and it suited her._

"_I have to go," she mumbled shyly after a moment._

_--_

_I ran my fingers through her hair tiredly. Why did I have to wake up in the middle of the night, the one time I need sleep the most?_

_Bella murmured something, and buried her head into my chest._

_My heart jumped, and for a moment, I thought she was awake. Then I realized she was still asleep. She just… talked in her sleep._

_I moved slightly, and instantly, her arm was around me, locking me in place._

"_Mmm… don't move, Edward…. You make too good a pillow."_

_I had to swallow a laugh. So obviously, swimming wasn't the only thing she thought I was good at._

_She sighed. "I love you, Edward. Don't ever leave."_

_I jumped. She said these words so clearly, I could've sworn she was awake._

_Then what she said actually sank in._

_She loved me?_

_My heart pounded at just the thought._

_Then it stopped all together. Realization hit me harder than one of Emmett's punches, and I felt like I had just had the wind knocked out of me._

_There was no way she could love me. Just no way. I- she… it just wasn't possible that __she__ of all people could've fallen in love with __me__._

_I bit my lower lip, hard; trying to block those thoughts form my head. I'd grown up thinking there was no one out there who could ever love me except for my family._

_It was easier to accept my feeling towards her than the fact that she returned them. It wasn't something I was used to… something I'd been brought up around. Bella had been the first girl I'd ever really liked, the first girl I'd ever kissed, the first girl I'd actually fallen in love with._

_Now she loved me back, and I had no idea what to say to it._

_I couldn't stop the emotions I felt for her... nor did I want to._

_--_

_I got dressed, and walked upstairs to Bella's room, knocking lightly on the door._

_I heard the door swing open._

"_Hey Edward," Bella yawned. "Oh my God!"_

"_What?"_

"_What the __hell__ happened to your eye?"_

"_Little run-in last night."_

"_When?"_

"_About thirty seconds after we said good night."_

"_I-but-who the hell would've done this?"_

"_You seriously just asked that?"_

"_Oh, Edward. You didn't yell or anything?"_

"_Nope."_

"_Idiot."_

_I shrugged._

"_C'mon." she grabbed my hand. "What happened exactly?" I heard the door shut as she dragged me inside._

"_Long story."_

"_I'm not going anywhere."_

_I sat down on the bed with her. "Aro... attacked me last night."_

"_Attacked?"_

"_For lack of a better word, yes."_

"_I didn't mean it like that," she said. "Define attacked."_

"_Slamming me against the wall, punching me in the face, kicking me in the side, and in the knee, not to mention the verbal beating I took."_

"_Edward…."_

"_I'm sick of this," I told her. "I'm sick of everything. This guy just can't get the hell out of my life. He's always doing something, anything. I've had enough of it." I leaned forward, and put my face in my hands._

"_You've been through a lot," she said softly._

"_Too much, Bella, just too much."_

"_Edward, you can't give up now," she told me. "Not now."_

"_I've had enough, Bella. I can't put up with anymore. Fourteen years, do you know what it's like to have one guy ruin your life for __fourteen years__?"_

"_Edward, please, don't say you've given up," she begged me, wrapping her arms around me. "Just… don't. I don't think I can take it."_

"_It's like I'm drowning," I whispered. "Every time I'm about to make it to the surface, he's there to push me right back down. The only thing keeping me alive is the life guard that keeps saving me before I get pushed back under."_

"_It really feels like you're drowning?"_

"_Worse," I mumbled. "The only thing keeping me going is the life guard."_

"_And that life guard would be…?"_

"_You," I told her. "I don't want to drown anymore, Bella. I want to learn how to swim."_

_I pulled her even closer to me. "It just gets to be too much sometimes, you know?" I said. "When I can't take it… I can't take it. It's like I've finally stopped breathing."_

"_Never stop breathing, Edward," Bella whispered. "It'd suck to have to do CPR."_

"_What, you wouldn't give me mouth-to-mouth?"_

"_Of course I would. I just never, ever want to have to see you that weak, that vulnerable." Her voice shook. "Edward, you're the strongest, most dedicated person I know. If you give up, I'll give up. Nothing has ever been able to stop you before. Why now?"_

_I sighed, long and shuddering. "I don't know."_

"_Never give in to it, Edward," she whispered. "Never. That's what he wants. What they both want. If you give in, it'll be just like your dying, and nobody knows how to save you. Even I won't be able to do anything to bring you back. I never want to see you drown."_

"_I never want to drown again." I whispered. "I just don't think I can do this anymore."_

"_Edward, when you swim, there's no denying it, you're you. After a hard practice, or an awesome race, it's like there's this missing part of you that just clicks into place. If you give up, on life, on swimming, on anything, that piece won't be there anymore. You'll just be this empty shell."_

"_What am I supposed to do, then?" I asked._

"_Stay strong, and just don't give in to him. Ever."_

"_I don't think I can do that."_

"_Edward, I know you can. Just like at the beach, where you have to ride out the waves, no matter how rough the surf is."_

"_Then the surf just turned into a storm surge," I muttered. "He threatened to kill me, Bella. How am I supposed to ride that one out?"_

_That rendered her speechless._

"_I- Edward," she said after a minute or two. "How could he-?"_

"_Easy. He slammed me against the wall, dropped me, kicked me in the side and the knee, and said it."_

"_Why would he want to, though?"_

"_I think it's because something happened… back when I was really little… before my parents were killed, or even before I was born… that made him hate me so much."_

--

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Argh. Why couldn't that thing _shut up_?

I turned my head away from the sound, trying to block it out. It was nearly impossible. The noise was persistent, obnoxious.

The memories for the dreams crashed down on me. Why now? I hadn't had a nightmare in years, and now I have three… the last few hadn't been bad at all. Actually… I had enjoyed those. But the first three… they were _horrible_.

I knew what had brought them on. Or, the first one, at least. I had found out who had killed my parents, and that fateful night had been bound to come back and haunt me.

The other two though… the last nightmare probably had to do with being stuck in the warehouse. It had been pretty cold, and ever since what had happened when I was fifteen I couldn't stand cold temperature. Water temperature was fine. But cold air temperature would irk me every once in a while.

I had no idea what had brought on the second one. Maybe it was just the onslaught of all the other nightmares.

I reached up to rub my eyes, to wake me up a little, but my hand was caught up.

The memory of talking to that paramedic hit me. Oh great. I was in a frickin hospital. Again.

"Argh," I groaned.

I blinked my eyes open slowly.

"Edward? Edward!"

And of course, my parents were here.

"Mmm," I mumbled. "Yeah?"

"Oh, Edward!" my mom exclaimed quietly. "I was so _worried_."

"God, Mom, you didn't have to. I'm _fine_," I muttered. She was always worried.

"Explain why you were abducted and why you're lying in a hospital."

"It's a long story I'll save for another time." my mom knew I couldn't stand Aro… but _nobody_ needed to know about what he and Elizabeth had had together.

"Cut him some slack, Esme," I heard my dad say. "He's been through enough. He doesn't need your interrogations on top of that."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime, son. You okay?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"You guess?"

"I'm fine," I yawned. "What happened?"

"Huh?" my dad asked.

"Just… what happened?"

My dad let out a long breath. "You and Bella both were abducted four days ago by Aro and Dimitri. You were found in a small warehouse just outside the city limits early yesterday morning after Bella called nine-one-one on a cell phone. Aro managed to do some minor damage to your ribs, but you don't have a concussion form being hit with the baseball bat. You were pretty dehydrated too, and desperately needed food. "

"And my knee?" I still remembered the horrible pain form the weight Aro had put on it. That had to have done some damage to my knee… not like it needed anymore done to it. I was screwed enough for the Games.

"It's pretty bad off."

I groaned. "Great just what I need."

"You refused surgery on it."

"Your point?"

"I'm just saying that you did."

"Dad, I wasn't going to bother with surgery this close to the Olympics. I'll deal with the pain- that's nothing. If I miss this… I just couldn't."

"Only you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just that only you would refuse surgery for a swim meet."

"I'm not the only one! And it's not just a swim meet!" I protested tiredly. I wasn't going to bother to explain my reasoning to him right now.

A dull ache was starting to form in my muscles, especially in my knee and side.

"What's the date?"

"The tenth."

"How fast can I get out of here?" More importantly, how fast could I get back in the water?

"I'm not sure. You'll have to wait for the doctor to come in and tell you that."

Great. I still had a couple more days till we flew out to England. As much as I didn't want to be stuck here, at least I would probably be out in time to go to England with the team.

I closed my eyes, the exhaustion from the dreams catching up to me a bit. My mind was a whirlwind though.

Forget about training camp and even the Olympics. Would I even be able to get back in the water? I didn't care what the doctor said; I wasn't going to miss the Olympics. I could deal with the pain… at least I thought I could. Would I actually be physically strong enough to endure it?

Yeah, I probably could stand the pain. I was willing to put myself through it to swim. I wanted to prove that just because I'm blind, I can still swim as fast as every other person out there, pain included.

I wanted to get back in the water, to feel the gentle lap of it against my skin as I leaned against the wall. I wanted to swim fly again, to feel the strain of my muscles as I swam my favorite stroke. It had only been four days since the last time I was in the water, but I felt like it had been years.

"How's Bella?" I mumbled.

"She's fine. She was just as dehydrated as you were, if not more, but aside from that, and a couple cuts and bruises, she's perfectly fine. She's downstairs grabbing something to eat with Alice and Emmett."

I sighed in relief. He hadn't hurt her.

"Get some sleep, honey," my mom whispered. "You look exhausted."

I was exhausted. I never got adequate sleep when I had nightmares. Of course, my mom didn't need to know that I was having nightmares again. She'd _freak_.

I wondered briefly if my old fix would work this time. Maybe. We would be tapering the next couple of week- bringing down the distance of the work out, but keeping up with the intensity levels, training our bodies to go faster over shorter distances with longer rest periods. I didn't know with my old solution would work for that. I prayed it would. With the Olympics so close, I needed all the sleep I could get, and it definitely didn't need to be disturbed with nightmares. I'd be a zombie at practice if it was.

Argh. I'd finally had those dreams under control. Then Aro just had to go and abduct me because of his grudge against my mom, and now I have nightmares again.

I was still aggravated when I dozed off.

--

Soft fingers played against my palm.

I blinked my eyes open tiredly.

"Oh! You're awake!" I heard Bella breath.

"Yeah," I mumbled, my voice still thick with sleep. "You okay?"

"_I'm _perfectly fine. _You_ on the other hand, had me worried sick."

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, okay, maybe in your little fantasy world. In reality, you're pretty screwed."

"Not living in a fantasy world."

"If you say so."

The nightmares were still pretty fresh in my mind, despite the fact that the time I had spent dozing off had been completely dreamless.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Something's gotta be. Knowing you, you'd be complaining about being in the hospital. You're completely zoned out."

"It's nothing, honestly." Well, nothing I needed to concern her with.

"I don't believe you."

"You should."

"But I don't" Bella muttered stubbornly. "You look beat," she mumbled, changing the subject.

I shrugged. "Bad dreams."

"Your nightmares came back?" I heard my mother ask sharply.

Crap. I hadn't even known they were there.

"I never said-."

"Bella, could you-?"

"Sure," Bella said hurriedly.

I heard her leave.

"Did they?" my mom prompted.

"Mom, I never said-."

"Just tell me."

"Yeah," I muttered, regretting it the instant the word left my mouth.

"Edward! For how long?"

"This the first time I've had one in years."

"Which ones?"

"I uh… the usual three."

"Any others?" my dad asked.

"No. the rest were just normal dreams."

"Did something happen?" my dad asked. "That may have triggered the return of them."

I thought about that a minute. They didn't need to know about what had went on between Aro and Elizabeth… I was pretty sure I still didn't want to know, even though I had a pretty decent picture. But what had Dimitri meant when he said I didn't want to know about my vision? It wasn't like Aro had been in the car that had hit us….

But, just like my parent's murderers, he could've paid the people to be in the car… but how would he have known that the glass would have shattered the way it did?

Ugh. It was just too much to think about. Aro was probably going to stay in prison for awhile, and Dimitri would most likely be banned from USA swimming. He probably wouldn't be able to swim in London, either.

"Nothing happened."

"You're positive?" my dad asked.

"I'm sure."

There was a knock on the door.

"How are you feeling, Edward?"

It was a guy's voice, and one I didn't recognized.

"Fine." I muttered. "I just wanna get out of here."

"You'll be able to leave tomorrow at the earliest. I still want to get an MRI on your knee."

I groaned. "Will I be able to swim?"

"We'll see."

I let out a long breath. "How messed up do you think it is?"

"I think you may have torn at least one of the ligaments and you're definitely going to need surgery on it."

"I'm not getting anything done till after the Olympics. What should I do about swimming?"

"Once we get the MRI done, I'll know exactly what you did to your knee. Normally I would suggest you stay out of the water and keep weight off your leg but you would probably completely disregard that and keep on swimming."

"Hell yeah, I would."

The doctor laughed. "How about we get this MRI done before you start assuming you can even swim?"

"I'm going to either way." I muttered. "Fine, might as well get this over and done with."

--

Two hours later, I was back in my room, waiting for the MRI results. Alice, Emmett, and Bella were all hanging out with me. My parents were downstairs getting something to eat.

Emmett was going on about some wrestler he had watched on television the night before. I could hear Alice flipping through a magazine and occasionally mumble something. Bella was sitting next to me, my arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Hello, earth to Edward! Are you even listening?" Emmett asked.

"Nope. I've told you a million times, unless it's filled with water and is used for racing, I'm not interested."

"But it's wrestling!"

"I bet you if I started talking about Ian Thorpe the same way you're talking about that wrestler, you would zone me out the same way."

"He's got you there, Em," Alice laughed.

"So? Who's Ian Thorpe, anyway?"

He had to be kidding me.

"Seriously, bro? He's one of the greatest swimmers of all time."

"God, Em, even _I_ know who he is!" Alice laughed.

"You aren't helping matters any, Ali."

"Then my work here is done."

We all laughed.

"Emmett, face it. All of us know who Ian Thorpe is, but none of us have any clue who that wrestler is. You do know wrestling is fixed, don't you?"

"What? No! You're kidding me!?" Emmett gasped.

I laughed. "Seriously? Wow. You honestly didn't know that?"

"No, I didn't!"

I rolled my eyes. "Wow."

"Did you know?" Emmett demanded.

"Of course I knew!"

"And you never told me?"

"I thought it better to just let you live in your happy little fantasy world."

"The three of you just shattered my fantasy world."

"Good. Maybe now you'll be serious," Alice chirped.

"Emmett? Serious? You're kidding, right?" I asked.

"You guys are so _mean_ to Emmett!" Bella laughed.

"We're not _mean_. We're just… rough on each other," I informed her. "especially Emmett."

Well in that case…I couldn't imagine life with Emmett acting serious," Bella said. "It'd be too bizarre."

"good point."

"I can be serious1" Emmett protested.

"You couldn't go a whole day acting serious." I told him.

"Wanna bet?" he challenged.

"Not really."

"Afraid you're going to lose?"

"Not really."

"Why won't you bet then?"

"Your bets usually entitle me doing something idiotic when I lose- and, even though I highly doubt I'm going to lose- I refuse to do something stupid."

"Since when?" Bella asked. "You're the kind of stupidity."

"No, Emmett is. I'm the king's adoptive brother who just happens to always attract trouble."

"I'll say."

"It's not my fault!"

Bella laughed. "I know. It's fun to aggravate you."

Alice laughed too. "It is fun to aggravate him."

"Nice to know I can be to your amusement."

"Does this mean you guys are down harassing me?"

"No!" the three of us said at the same time.

"So, Em, how's Rose?" I asked casually.

"She's great. She had to go back to New York to spend some time with her family. They never get to see her anymore."

"That's good."

"Nuh huh. They took my Rosie."

"Em, you sound like a four year old," Alice told him.

"So? I love Rose!"

I rolled my eyes and grinned a little. "We know, bro. you've been in love with her since the day you met her four years ago. When are you going to ask her to marry you?"

"Soon. Probably the end of the summer."

I nodded. "Finally."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It took you long enough."

"I don't see you running off with Bella! Or Alice with Jasper!"

Emmett was going to get it for that one.

"You need to bring that one up with Jasper."

"And you and Bella?"

He asks me that when Bella is sitting right next to me? Ugh, I swear, my brother has absolutely no sense of intelligence whatsoever.

"She's knows I'm completely in love with her."

Bella laughed softly. "That I do. Besides, we're only eighteen."

"I'm nineteen."

"You know what I mean. We're only in our sophomore year of college."

"You'd really wait longer?"

Argh Emmett, seriously? i wouldn't mind getting married to Bella right now… it was just my personal preference to wait a little longer. For one, I wanted to surprise her… for another, I was still in college! Heck, I was still just a teenager. I didn't mind waiting, as much as I loved her. Waiting two more years wasn't a big deal to me.

"I don't mind," Bella said.

"Besides, we could always get an apartment in Baltimore and live off-campus. Would that make you happier?"

"As long as you don't get married before Rose and I do."

"You sound like a little kid when you say that."

"It's true! That'd just be plain _weird_."

I shook my head. "Emmett, I really wish I hadn't shattered your fantasy world." At least then it wouldn't have been hard to make him forget this.

"Oh yeah! My fantasy world doesn't have insurance, so you're going to have to pay for the damages."

"Yeah, okay. And how are we going to fix your short term memory loss exactly?"

"I don't have short term memory loss!"

"You act like it," Alice muttered.

"Well I _don't_!"

"Right now I like Bella best!"

"You can't have her," I tightened my arm protectively. "She's one hundred percent mine."

"Not like that, smart one. At least she's not harassing me!"

"I'm having enough fun watching the three of you bicker."

I laughed. "Try joining in sometime. It only adds to the fun."

"I'll remember that."

I heard a knock on the door.

"Well, Edward, I just finished looking at your MRI results."

Oh, God.

"How badly am I screwed?"

"You've torn your MCL and your LCL and put a lot of strain on the other two ligaments walking around on it."

"Aro didn't do anything else to it when he stepped on it?"

"Nothing else was wrong with it aside form that, from what I could tell."

"Can I swim?"

The doctor sighed.

I bit my tongue, anxious.

"I don't thin I'll be able to stop you, one way or anther," he said after a moment. "yes, you can swim."

Yes!

"On several conditions."

Damn.

--

I leaned heavily on my crutches. They were so _annoying_. It was practically impossible to go downstairs with them, they threw my stride off, and made going from one place to another impossible.

All the same, (and as much as I definitely didn't want to admit it) they were necessary. As were every other frickin condition Dr. Snow had put in place.

I leaned against the wall, and knocked on the door to the hotel room. My keycard had been in my backpack, (along with my caps, goggles, towel, Chamois, everything) and I had no clue where that was.

I heard the door open.

"Ye-?" I heard Jordan yawn. "Edward!"

I grinned. "Miss me much?"

"Hell yeah! Do you know how flip-turning boring it is around here when you're not here?"

"Did you seriously just say flip-turning?" I asked.

"What-?" oh, yeah. Old habit I got into when I was a kid. My mom hated it when I cussed, so I got into the habit of saying flip-turning."

"Flip-turning?"

"Yes! God! What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. It's just… not something I expected."

"Come on! Michael's gonna be so mad when I wake him up, but he'll be thrilled to see you."

"Hard practices lately?"

"You wouldn't believe what Eddie's made us do. Hold on a second."

I walked into the living room and collapsed against the couch.

"God, Jordan! I was sleeping!" I heard Michael groan. "What now?"

"Can't you just shut up and trust me for once?" Jordan mumbled.

"Edward!" Michael yelled.

I laughed. "God, you guys act like you haven't seen me in years."

"Your point?"

"Anyway, Jordan, what were you saying about practice?"

Michael groaned. "They've been hell. No, worse than hell."

"God, what did Eddie do to you guys?"

"Well, you know that day… that you were…"

"Abducted, yeah go on."

"Yeah, well, Dimitri didn't show up to practice either, and we got there like two minutes before we had to get in the water. Well Eddie was _seriously_ pissed." Michael said.

"Thirty two three hundreds on three fifteen, I.M. order." Jordan muttered darkly. "Never again, man, never again."

"He made you guys swim thirty two frickin three hundreds?"

"Yeah. We're still recovering. Anyway, so he comes back to the hotel in a horrible mood, about to go seriously chew Brian out." I shuddered at the name.

"You okay?"

"Yeah… just the name. Never mind. Go on."

"Anyway, so yeah, and Brian is running down the stairs and crashes into Eddie. Then Brian tells Eddie you were abducted and Eddie _freaks_. He's still trying to make it up tot us, giving us… well, they aren't easy, and they definitely hurt, but they're better than those thirty two hundreds."

I laughed. "Sounds like Eddie."

"What do you have against Brian's name, man? He is _your_ coach," Jordan reminded me.

"He's always just Coach to me. I had a coach name Brian McDowell a few years back. Ever since then, I've never been able to stand the name Brian."

"I have a feeling I don't want to know the rest," Jordan said.

"You have good intuition." I muttered. "You definitely don't want to know."

"Eddie's going to freak out tomorrow at practice. He's refused to watch the news the past couple of days. He said if anything happened, he didn't want to know. He almost banned us from watching it too, then thought better of it." Michael paused. "You can practice, right?"

"Yes and no. I can swim; I just have to take it easy." Not exactly the truth. I wasn't technically supposed to get back in the water for a week or so. I had a feeling I was gonna regret going to practice, but whatever. I'd manage.

"Gotcha."

I yawned.

"You know where Dimitri's at?" Jordan asked.

"Believe me. You definitely don't want to know."

"Man, you should've seen the way the news crews totally swamped practice lately. Waiting in the lobby, hiding behind bushes, it was insane."

I laughed. "They left me well enough alone."

"Lucky. I swear, tomorrow at practice you won't be able to say that anymore. They've been trying to ambush us for days, and their definitely going to try to get a word with you."

I laughed again. "Figures. They've got their work cut out for them."

"What are you going to do?"

"They can't write anything if they don't have anything to write about. Haven't you every heard of good old faithful 'no comment'?"

"Like that ever works. I've been saying it for days." Jordan mumbled.

Michael laughed. "Hardly. You've been ready to punch the reporters in the face, not just walk past and say 'no comment.'"

I rolled my eyes. "Typical Jordan."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"Forget you."

"Whatever, man. I'm gonna get some sleep. We got practice in the morning."

They both groaned.

"Don't remind us!" Jordan muttered.

I laughed. "You guys are lame. They can't be that bad."

"Oh, you're gonna eat your words tomorrow. You haven't been in the water in five freaking days. You're gonna be dead tomorrow night," Jordan muttered.

"Yeah, okay, we'll see about that." I yawned again.

"Go to bed. You're going to need all the sleep you can get if you're seriously going to take on Eddie's practice tomorrow. He told us today it was going to be brutal."

"Oh, shut up, J, he never said that," Michael scolded.

"Jordan, I'll survive." I stood up. "Hey, if Coach stops by, wake me up. If I'm not up by seven tomorrow, go ahead and throw water on me."

"Can do. Actually, I'll take pleasure in that one."

I rolled my eyes, and headed off to bed.

**Yay! I got this up before my swim meet! Okay, now I seriously gotta go get some sleep because I have to be up at five to spend like twelve hours at the pool when my coach won't even be there. I really got to beat this one kid form my school who thinks he's a better swimmer than me. So… while I go get totally phsyched, nothing would make me happier than your reviews! **

**Later guys! Review! **


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey guys. Argh, I'm soooooo sorry for the delay. I planned on updating Friday before my meet but… well, I fell off my horse at riding on Wednesday when he went down and I… I sorta fractured my collarbone and separated my shoulder. I can't move my left arm all that well, and my typing skills suck. I can't swim for like, a month, and not being in the water is killing me. On the plus side, I kicked my sister's butt at poil one handed!**

Chapter Twenty Nine

I woke up around six the next morning. I was dying to get back in the water. Almost six days was _way_ too long.

I took a shower before changing into my suit and sweats and grabbing breakfast. I figured I would never get my backpack back, which meant I'd have to get a new Chamois and another Loyola swim team cap so I wouldn't have to put too much wear on my spare one. I'd need another spare pair of goggles too. And another towel.... Argh, why did I have to have kept everything in my backpack?

As usual, forty five minutes before we had to leave, Michael and Jordan were grabbing breakfast, arguing (again) about a stupid card game. God, six days didn't change much.

We walked down to the street to the pool earlier than we usually did- almost twenty five minutes before practice started, ten minutes before any of the other team members would be there.

We stretched out- or rather, _I_ stretched, and listened as Jordan and Michael tried to pour caps full of water on each other. And I thought _Emmett_ was immature.

The rest of the men's team slowly trickled into practice. By eight forty five, it sounded like everyone but Eddie was there.

I could hear everyone else stretching out, talking to one another, and complaining about their sore muscles. A couple guys had noticed my return, but most had left me be about it.

Ten minutes before practice was set to start, I heard the door open at the other side of the pool, and footsteps walk around the pool deck.

"All right boys, eight minutes, in the water. Eight hundred easy." Eddie shouted. "I mean it. I want you guys in the water, nine o' clock shar- _Edward_!"

"Eddie!" I said, trying my best to mock his enthusiasm. I failed horribly.

"Brian never said anything-," Eddie said. His voice was pretty close now, maybe only a couple feet away.

I resisted the urge to wince at the name. "Coach is pretty good about things like that."

"I'll say." Eddie muttered. "What the hell happened?"

I swallowed hard, and took a deep breath. "I'd rather not… after practice would be better." The memories were still sharp in my mind.

"You don't have to-."

"No, it's cool. I just… want to focus on practice right now." That was true. I was dying to get back in the water. There were only fifteen days till the opening ceremonies. I needed dot get into the best condition possible. I needed to train hard for at least a week. Screw tapering. Missing six days of practice had thrown me so off, I didn't know if I would ever be back in that top condition I had been in. I was going to try though, forget the pain.

I pulled my jacket and shorts off before snapping my cap down over my hair. I grabbed my water bottle and walked with Jordan to our lane.

"Two minutes and you guys better be getting in the water!" Eddie shouted. "Edward, I'm not going easy on you. You gotta get back into shape." He added.

I pulled my goggles on. "Don't expect you to."

I leaned against the block, keeping the weight off my knee. The couple days of rest it had gotten had helped the swelling go down a bit, and I wasn't looking to aggravate it anymore than it needed to be. Practice would put me through enough torment.

I heard a splash as the first person jumped in the water. I snapped my goggles down over my eyes, waited till Jordan left, and jumped in ten seconds after him.

God, did it feel good to be back in the water. I loved the way the water pressed against my skin and how there was hardly any resistance as I started my freestyle. It felt so _right_ being back in the water. As long as practice wasn't too hard, I could do it all day just to catch up.

I flipped at the other end, hit the wall squarely and shoved off. I had so much pent up energy from the past few days, even a difficult practice would have a hard time cutting into it.

I finished the eight hundred and leaned against the wall, waiting for the next bit of practice.

"Four four hundred I.M.s on four forty five." Eddie said after a minute. "Leave on the next top."

I listened for Jordan to leave and took off ten seconds after him. It didn't take much for me to catch up to him when I left five seconds after him, and his four hundred weren't exactly the best. He had a strong backstroke and breaststroke, and his freestyle time was only about three or four seconds off of mine, even though he didn't swim it in the Trials. He just didn't have the endurance to go the entire race.

I swam the fly as slowly as I could. After such a long break from swimming, going slow wasn't in my nature. I caught up to Jordan twice in the first hundred meters alone. I had to slow down so I didn't pass him. I wasn't supposed to be killing myself, but going slow was just so… unnatural.

We finished the set and went on with practice. Ten two hundred on two fifteen, alternating between free and fly, twelve two hundred I.M. order, sixteen one hundreds sprints from the block, and fifteen two hundreds sprint for time, alternating between fly, back, and breast.

By the time I climbed out for the last two hundred, I felt like I was about to drop dead. My knee was killing me, and my muscles were sore. I knew my muscles had gone soft over the break but dang, I didn't think they could hurt _that_ much.

I leaned against the block before climbing up for the last two hundred. All we had to do after this was warm down, and I could go and catch some more sleep. Dr. Snow had given me really strong pain meds, too, so I could finally get rid of the pain in my knee with out taking ten Advil.

I swam the two hundred breaststroke slowly, trying hard not to mess up my knee anymore.

At the end of the swim, Eddie shouted out our times and we started a six hundred easy for warm down. I tried to add up how much we had swam in my mind .maybe a little more than ten thousand meters, if you included warm up and warm down. That was a lot, even for one of our practices. No wonder I was so sore- first day back, and we had swam a good ten thousand meters in a few hours. That was six mile swim, maybe even six and a half.

I couldn't help but groan when I climbed out of the water. I heard Jordan snicker.

"Shut up, man," I mumbled.

"I told you. Want some help?"

"I got it."

"Okay."

I grabbed my water bottle and drained the last of it before shoving it in my bag and wiping the water off my skin with my towel. I yawned. I was beat- that practice had been hell in water, that was for sure.

I leaned against the wall and slid down to the deck. All that pent up energy I had was gone. I was ready for a good long nap.

"Edward, you okay?" Jordan asked.

"I'm good man. Just tired."

"Your muscles have gone soft," Eddie noted. "You did well though, all things considered. How are you holding up?"

I nodded. "Pretty good. Aside from every part of my body hurting, the only thing really bothering me is my knee."

"Go back to the hotel and ice it. If I catch you walking around on it you won't get back in the water till warm ups before your first event on the twenty eighth, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear." Damn it, that meant I had to deal with those stupid crutches.

"What happened, kid?" Eddie asked after a moment.

I shrugged. "It's a long, confusing, weird as hell story." I really didn't want to talk about it. It was bad enough that I had lived it. I had refused to tell my parents and my siblings. The only one who knew what had really happened was Bella.

"I'll take your word for it then." He said, his voice edged with uncertainty at that, like he was unsure if he should let me keep quiet about it. "Have you talked to Brian lately?"

I couldn't help but flinch. "Nope."

"I suggest you do. He's been freaked out to death the past couple of days."

Only Coach.

I nodded. "Figures."

It hurt to stand up, but I managed. I shoved my towel into my bag and pulled my jacket on along with my shorts.

"Later, Eddie." Jordan and I said.

"Later. Edward, I suggest you get down to the gym sometime this week. You're going to need to get that muscle back up."

"Got it. Thanks."

"No problem. Jordan, go with him to make sure he doesn't kill himself."

"Can do, Eddie, can do," Jordan laughed.

We walked back to the hotel. I could feel my muscles stiffening up. I needed to stretch them out and keep them loose. My knee was really starting to bother me, too. Just putting the slightest bit too much weight on it was hell.

Jordan and I made lunch, and I cut one of my pain pills in half and swallowed it dry before draining almost a whole bottle of Gatorade. Full strength vikatan could knock me out for hours. Hell, even half a tablet would put me out for a while. But they knocked the pain out fast, despite the side effects. All the same, I didn't want to spend the whole afternoon completely in la-la land.

Jordan headed off to bed as soon as he finished his lunch. I grabbed a wash cloth from one of the bathrooms and soaked it in water before throwing it in the freezer.

I crawled into my bed, exhausted. Jordan hadn't been kidding, as much as I wanted to deny it.

Right when I started to doze off, I heard someone knocking on the door. Jordan was out cold, his breathing long and even, and I could hear the shower going in one of the bathrooms.

It was what, thirty feet to the door? I could walk that without crutches… I seriously hated the stupid things.

I rolled off my bed and used the wall for support as I limped to the door. I propped my arm up against the door jamb and leaned my head against it before opening the door.

"Yea-," my voice was cut off by a yawn.

"Edward?"

"Coach?" I stumbled back in surprise and groaned when the pain flared up in my knee. I leaned against the wall, gasping, waiting for the pain to stop.

Coach grabbed my arm. "You okay, son?"

I nodded.

He helped me walk to a chair. I collapsed against it, and rubbed my knee, trying to coax the pain to stop.

"Argh," I groaned.

"You got any ice?"

"Freezer."

I heard him rustle through the freezer, and he pressed a bag on ice to my knee. I let out a small yelp from the cold touching the swelling, but once I got used to it, it felt better.

"Thanks. So, what's up Coach?"

"Nothing much," I heard the scrape of wood across linoleum. "I've been pretty freaked the past couple of days, that's for damn sure."

I nodded. "Sorry bout that."

"Edward…" Coach said slowly. "What the hell happened?"

I closed my eyes and let out a long, slow breath, fighting against the memory that threatened to resurface and force me to relive when Aro pulled that knife on me.

Absentmindedly, I reached up and fingered the fifteen year old scar on my throat. Up until a few nights ago, I had completely forgotten it was there.

Barely a fourth of an inch above it was the thick, puckered, half-healed cut form when Aro had tried to kill me. It was sensitive to touch, and made it even harder to forget the memory.

I jerked my hand away. I'd had a hard enough time trying to forget that. I didn't need to make it even harder on myself.

"Coach… I-I-," I couldn't even finished what I as going to say. I sat there, shaking, fighting desperately not to relive that awful memory, breathing hard.

"Edward!"

"Coach… I-I c-can't- you can't," I didn't want him to know what had happened. He couldn't know….

I heard water run for a moment.

"Here," Coach pressed a glass into my hand. "Drink."

I shakily complied, draining the glass in a few gulps.

"Better?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem…. Edward, do your parents at least know? He asked cautiously. "About what happened?"

"No." they only know what heard. I didn't tell them anything.

"Your roommates?"

"Nope."

"Only Bella?"

"Yup."

"I can't believe you, Edward. Don't you think they have a right to know?"

I thought about that a moment. well Yeah, of course they had a right to know. Did I honestly think they could take what I was going to tell them, though? No, I didn't.

"Edward, I don't care if I never know- hell, I think it's better off that way. But your parents- they deserve to know," Coach said.

I nodded. I fingered the two lines that scared my throat again. "I know, Coach." I wanted my parents to know... I just wasn't looking forward to their reactions.

"He pull a knife on you?" Coach asked sharply.

I nodded distantly. "Yeah."

Coach sighed. "I really think you need to tell your parents."

"Believe me, Coach, I want to. I hate keeping things from them. But… there are just some things they don't need to know about."

We were both quiet a minute.

"How was practice this morning?"

"Argh. Worse than yours."

"Are you even supposed to be swimming?"

"Nope. Not for another week. Do you honestly think I care?"

"Uh, yeah, you should. I don't know about you sometimes." I knew Coach was probably shaking his head.

"Well what would you do if you if you were in my predicament? You probably wouldn't listen to some doctor either." I muttered. "I had to get back in the water. Not swimming is like not breathing. It's not possible. And not swimming for nearly a week… almost killed me. What was I supposed to do, anyway? Let my muscles get even softer and make things even harder on myself?"

"You always could've gone to the gym and lifted weights."

I shook my head. "It's not the same, Coach. Swimming is everything to me. I _had_ to get back in the water."

"I guess I know what you mean," Coach admitted after a minute. "How's your knee been?"

I shrugged. "It's been better. It could be worse, though."

"They got you on anything for it?"

"Some really strong pain meds, but practice was pretty brutal, even with them."

"how so?"

"Um, four four hundred I.M.s, twelve two hundred I.M.s and like, fifteen two hundreds, I.M. order, no freestyle, for time."

"Why didn't you just do dolphin kick instead of breaststroke kick? It's the same rhythm.

"No good. Even dolphin kicks start to bother my knee now." I hated the fact. Fly was my favorite stroke- kick, turns, stroke, hell, I even loved the breathing techniques. Just the knowledge that part of it could cause me pain now didn't stop me from loving it. But it took some of the enjoyment out of swimming it. Not a lot, but some. "And besides, when I do that, it throws my stroke count off. I don't look forward to crashing into walls."

"That's because you get into the habit of kicking from your knees when your tired or fatigued. You're supposed to kick from your hips." For a moment, it was almost like we were back at practice, and I was screwing up my stroke technique without even realizing it.

"I try!" I objected. "Believe me, I do! It's just the motion from the kick."

"Do freestyle kick."

"With breaststroke arms?" I asked skeptically. Talk about one messed up stroke.

"If it works out, why not? You're _supposed _to be saving your knee, are you not?"

"Since when have I ever done what I'm supposed to do?" I asked. "I'll ask Eddie tomorrow at practice."

"Ask him all you want. You know it'll save your knee."

"Yeah, I know. Eddie's still gotta know."

"You've finally gotten over your phobia of those names?"

"Hardly." I thought back to that first practice I'd had with him, almost a year ago. He'd asked me if I ever shortened my name. I had just shuddered and answered no as fast as I could.

I also remembered how hard it had been to force myself to say his name, how hard it was to just think it, even now.

Thankfully, Coach had noticed the sheer hell it had put me through just to say his name, and suggested I just call him Coach to save myself the trouble.

Coach got me on more levels than any other coach I'd ever had. He pushed me harder, believing that I could do everything he gave me, and despite my own beliefs about the sets, I was able to do everything he gave me. He knew exactly what was bothering me without even having to ask, and especially when I tried too hard at practice, he'd know I was really peeved about something. I never told him why those names bothered me the way that they did- I never had to. He always just knew.

I yawned. The vikatan was finally kicking in, and the pain was starting to numb a little bit from my knee.

"Get some sleep, son. You're bound to be exhausted."

"It's just the pain meds."

"All the same, you have to go to practice again tomorrow."

"Good point."

Coach pulled me to my feet. "go on and get some sleep."

I nodded tiredly, walked him to the door, and limped heavily to my bed. I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

--

"Edward!" I heard Jordan yell.

Argh, Jordan I swear to God….

I couldn't have slept more than a couple of hours, and I still felt pretty out of it.

I rolled off the bed. "What, J?"

"Bella," I heard him state simply.

Instantly, I cheered up a considerable amount. I limped out of the room and towards the door.

In a second, I felt Bella hug me, almost like she was trying to kill me. It still felt nice, though.

I kissed her hair softly. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

She laughed. "Talk normally, silly, or else I'll start to think I've fallen into an old romance novel."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry. I'm pretty out of it."

"It's okay. As long as you're not hurting, I can put up with a crazy Edward."

"I dunno if I can. Its weird- I feel like I'm like, half here, half some else."

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be. It's not your fault."

"I'm going to steal your pain meds if you keep it up."

"Sorry! I can't help it," I yawned.

"Did Jordan wake you up?" Bella asked sympathetically.

"Yeah."

"C'mon."

She almost literally dragged me back to bed and forced me to lie down.

"Go back to sleep. You look beat." She told me softly. I heard her lie down next to.

"I'm fine, really."

"Hard practice?"

"Maybe…."

"You need to get some sleep. Some _real_ sleep."

"Mmm," I pressed myself against her warm skin.

She ran her fingers through my hair. "Sleep tight, Edward," she whispered softly.

As much as I didn't want to fall asleep with her there, I couldn't help it. This morning's practice and the pain meds left me exhausted, and I knew I needed to sleep.

--

_I heard key tones, and Bella whispering fast into the phone. I barely caught what she was saying, it was so quiet._

"_What the hell?"_

_Aro._

_Great._

"_What the freak do you two think you're doing?" he asked, his tone dark, low, and definitely dangerous._

_I heard him get to his feet. Crap, we were so dead._

_I heard the phone clatter to the floor._

"_What the hell are the two of you doing?" Aro shouted again._

_God, did I hope the phone hadn't broken when it fell and that the other person was still on the line._

"_I- we-," I stuttered._

_I felt his fist hit me in the chest, and I stumbled backwards, the wind knocked out of me._

"_What the hell were you two trying to do?" he shouted._

"_Get the hell out of here," Bella hissed._

"_Dad what the freak-?" I heard Dimitri ask sleepily._

"_Shut up!" Aro roared._

"_What the hell is your problem, Dad?" Dimitri shouted._

"_What do you mean?" Aro's voice changed, it was softer, even more dangerous than when he was shouting._

"_You just can't leave things alone, can you?" Dimitri hissed._

"_What-?"_

"_I'm sick of this! Cullen's better than me, just admit it! You didn't need to freaking abduct him! You didn't need to drag me into this! I'm gonna lose my membership because of you!"_

"_He is not better than you," Aro growled. "And would you quit worrying about your god damn membership? Nothing is going to happen!"_

"_You're wrong, Dad. You've screwed around with this for way too long. I can't put up with it anymore. You're risking things I actually care about for your own freaking gain. Just kill him already before the cops show up, if you have to. I'm so sick of this!"_

"_I haven't done this for me. I've done this for you."_

"_You're wrong. This is all because Cullen's mom ran off twenty something freaking years ago and you can't let it go!"_

"_I did let it go."_

"_Killing Cullen's freaking parents and now trying to kill him is not letting it go. Dad, you need freaking help, and I don't wanna hang around waiting and silently watching anymore. Call me when you get help. Till then, I'm out of here."_

"_You can't leave."_

"_Watch me."_

_I heard Dimitri rise to his feet, and push his way past me._

_It was silent for a minute._

"_You," I heard Aro growl._

_I swallowed hard. Oh, God._

_He hit me again, harder than the first time. I actually fell down._

_I shoved myself back up, ignoring the pain in my chest, my head and my knee. _

"_Don't touch me again," I growled._

"_Edward-," Bella whispered._

"_Not now, Bella."_

"_But, Edward-"_

"_Bel-!"_

_Aro grabbed me, and threw me to the floor. I felt something cold press against my throat._

"_One word, Cullen. One word and I swear I'll do it."_

_He had to be frickin kidding me._

_I swallowed hard, and felt the knife dig into my skin a little bit. He wasn't joking. He really would cut my throat if I spoke._

"_Pho-," I started to say, but the knife dug deeper into my throat._

_I felt the first drops of blood slide down my neck. I didn't dare swallow, to allow the blade to go any deeper…. Agony tore through my whole body as that horrible weight returned to my knee. Even the knife held at my throat didn't matter anymore. Only the pain tearing through me… the pain was the only thing that mattered, the only thing that existed...._

_I felt my self falling back into unconsciousness...._

"Edward!"

Someone was shaking me, calling my name….

I blinked my eyes open, trying to shake the nightmare off.

"Oh, my God, Edward, are you all right?" Bella asked, fright obvious in her voice. "You were shaking and groaning…."

"I'm fine," I told her softly. "Honestly." I sat up, and she wrapped her arms around me immediately, leaning her head against my shoulder. I pressed my cheek against her soft hair, slowly breathing in the soft scent of her strawberry shampoo.

God, I was rattled, why the hell had u had a nightmare now, when I was doped up on pain killers, and completely exhausted? When I was exhausted I usually slept pretty well, a dream or two, but never one of my nightmares.

And it had been so _vivid_, every sound intensified some, making it all the more like I was reliving the moment when Aro had tried to kill me.

"You had a nightmare, didn't you?" it wasn't so much a question as it was a statement.

There was no point in lying- she knew I had, and if I did lie, she'd freak out and I'd feel bad for putting her through that.

I swallowed hard. "Yeah." I fingered the scarring on my throat again.

"Oh, God," Bella whispered. "I- was it- which one?"

"Aro trying to kill me."

"Oh, _God_. Edward, did you… did you have that one in the hospital?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Did you ever… you know… tell your parents?"

"That the nightmares came back? Well, I didn't want to, but my mom kinda-"

"No, not that. I mean, did you ever tell your parents… what happened? At the warehouse?"

"I couldn't." I whispered after a moment. "I couldn't put them through that."

"Edward!" Bella hissed. "So I'm the only other person aside from Aro and Dimitri who knows?"

"I wish you hadn't been there. You know I do. I wish you hadn't seen what you had to. I wish he hadn't hurt you."

"He didn't hurt me. If anything, what he did to you is hurting me more than anything else!"

I bit my lower lip. Bella had a right to know what I had heard Aro tell Dimitri… I still didn't think she would like it, but if anyone could take it, not make too big a deal out of it, and still be there with me at the same time, it was Bella.

"Edward, did something happen? Something I maybe wasn't conscious for?" Bella asked me softly. "Did he do something to you?"

"He didn't do anything to me," I whispered slowly. "But… I did over hear him tell Dimitri something."

"What?" Bella was confused- she probably couldn't think of something that would shake my nerves up this much. "What did he tell Dimitri?"

"My mom…" I started to say, before stopping and swallowing hard again.

"What about your mom?" Bella asked gently. She didn't even need to ask whether I mean Esme or Elizabeth. She knew I meant the latter.

"I- Aro was engaged to her," I mumbled. Bella gasped. "He-he paid people to_ murder_ my parents. They… they were supposed to kill me, too. They made me _watch_ as they killed my parents. Th-they almost killed me. All because Aro paid them because he was still in love with my mom."

"Oh, my God, Edward, that's horrible!" Bella whispered tightly. I could tell she was close to tears. Her delicate fingers brushed the skin on my throat. "you have scars there. I never noticed before…."

"The old one's faint."

"The new one isn't."

I shook my head. "What am I gonna do, Bella? What if he doesn't get sent to prison? He'll be after me again, I know he will. He wants me gone, out of his life forever. I'm the last thing reminding him of my mom."

"I'll help you, Edward. He won't be able to get near you. You can get a restraining order or-."

"That wouldn't work. He's broken the law before, what's one more time?"

"He can be arrested for it, though."

"He won't care. He'll do anything he can to try and kill me. Anything."

"I'll figure something out," Bella promised. "I swear. He won't be able to do anything to you by the time I'm finished, you may even have your own personal bodyguard."

"How the hell am I going to afford that? Go pro?"

"Maybe you can, after London. It all depends on how well you do, and who you impress."

"I'll remember that."

"Are you okay?" Bella asked softly. "With everything, I mean? I know it's hard, Edward, but if you want to talk to someone, I'll always be here. You know that, don't you?"

I nodded, a slight smile starting to play on my lips. "I wouldn't want to have it any other way."

"I'm glad to hear that." I knew Bella was smiling a little bit from her voice. "is your knee okay?"

I hadn't even noticed my knee at all. It wasn't hurting for the first time in ages, and it wasn't giving me any trouble. I didn't even feel that out of it. The nightmare had startled me back to my usual self, that was for sure.

"It doesn't hurt a bit," I told her honestly.

"Really? Surprise was evident in her tone. But she was pleased all the same. "That's a first. How long does each one last?"

"I dunno. I cut the tablet in half, so maybe three or four hours instead of six or eight?"

"Why the hell did you cut the tablet in half?"

"You've never seen me completely doped up on vikatan have you?"

"Nope, can't say I have."

"I'm a complete space case. I can't focus for more than a minute, and I'll fall asleep in the middle of a sentence. It the pain's bad enough that I have to take a whole tablet, I'll be lucky to make it to my bed before I crash."

"Basically you're an Emmett incarnate with a sleeping issue?"

I laughed. "Basically. I was on it for a while after the car accident. I guess they may have given me a high dosage or something, because one tablet could knock me out for almost a whole day. I was on it for a couple of days when I was fourteen, too."

"What happened when you were fourteen?"

"I broke my wrist when I fell running laps for that one coach I had. I was out of the water for a couple of days, and when I swam in the Paralympic trials that April, I didn't exactly do too great. The cast created drag, and I had a horrible time working my stroke count out with it on."

"I always wondered why you didn't make the Paralympic team back in oh-eight. How come you never told me that before?"

"Not too many people know about it. I just got all the more determined after the meet, and it wasn't like it was a huge setback. I was only fourteen, after all. I figured if I kept training the way I was, I'd be able to make the team this year."

"And of course, you end up making the Olympic team instead."

"All things happen for a reason. Maybe it was a good thing I never made the Paralympic team."

"Maybe it was," Bella agreed. "You hungry?"

"Not really."

"Are you sick or something?" Bella asked, astonished.

I smiled slightly. "I'm not sick, don't worry. It's the meds. They always knock my hunger out." Not exactly true but….

"Mhmm, yeah, sure. I'll force feed you if I have to, you need to eat."

"You can try to."

"whatever, I'll be back in a minute."

I let Bella go so she could go make herself some dinner.

I leaned back against the pillows, almost falling asleep again. The nightmares always left me feeling as if I hadn't slept a wink, but this one had been even worse than that. I felt completely drained, as if I'd been awake for a week without any nourishment. It was an awful feeling and I wanted it to go away.

I felt and heard Bella collapse back onto the bed next to me. "Sandwich?" she asked.

"Sure. Where are Jordan and Michael, anyway?"

"Michael dragged Jordan off to some restaurant he loves down the street like an hour ago. They offered to bring us back something, but I told them not to bother."

"And why would you do that?" she turned down free food… I couldn't believe her.

"Because they wanted me to pay for it, and I could make something much better here. I really don't trust Michael's taste in food all that much…."

I laughed. "I guess I gotta agree with you there. But he does make some damn good chocolate chip pancakes."

"I bet he does. Besides, you shouldn't be eating that crap."

"It's not crap, it's good!"

"It's unhealthy."

"It's my version off coffee."

"Oh, of course, because a sugar-rush is _so _much better for you than a caffeine high."

"Neither of them are that good for you…."

"My point exactly." She poked me in the arm when she said that.

"Ow." It hadn't actually hurt but why not play it up just a little bit?

"I know that didn't hurt. I barely touched you."

"I know. I'm just messing with you."

"Shut up and finish eating your damn sandwich."

"Yes, ma'am."

I finished the sandwich, and pulled the blanket up around us.

"Still tired?" Bella asked sympathetically.

"Dead beat," I mumbled into the pillow.

"Go to sleep then," Bella told me softly. "I won't let your roommates wake you up."

"Don't leave."

"I won't. I promise."

"Thank you Bella."

"What for?"

"Everything."

"You're welcome." Her warm fingers danced across my skin. "Go to sleep, Edward. I promise I'll be here when you wake up."

I nodded sleepily. "Coach stopped by earlier," I mumbled.

"Tell me about it in the morning."

"Can you wake me up if I start to have another nightmare, please?" I never could wake myself up from them.

"If I'm awake I will. Now shut up and go to sleep."

My eyelids grew heavier and it became harder to stay awake. "I love you Bella." I whispered just loudly enough for her to hear before I fell asleep completely.

**Phew. That took forever to type one handed. Again, I'm sorry for any typing errors. I have an excuse this time! I'm really sorry that too so long. It wasn't my decision to fall off my horse… it just sort of happened. I'll try to post as soon as I can, and that might be a little hard. But honestly, I am trying my hardest to get these chapters up with all my homework and with practice and all. I can get back in the water soon and just kick, and only for half an hour, but at least I'll be in the water.**

**So, later guys. Review!!! **


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey guys. I'm soooo sorry that this chapter took so long! It was **_**impossible**_** to type with a sling on, and I almost died from an Algebra homework avalanche, not to mention the major writer's block I had for this chapter. My mind is a chapter and a half a ahead of this, and I'm sorry if this isn't exactly the best chapter ever. It is sort of a filler, but don't kill me for it. Before long, I'll have to next chapter up, and you guys won't be bored anymore. Promise!**

Chapter Thirty

_He loomed over me; I could hear his sharp, fast breathing and feel how close his body was to me. I felt him grab my arm and throw me into the wall. My head cracked against the rough cement with a sickening sound. My eyes smarted from the pain._

_I heard him laughing, enjoying my pain._

_He pressed something cold and sharp to my throat. I could hear him murmuring something as the first few drops of blood started to slide down my throat. The pain seared as the knife started to go deeper into my skin._

"_I hope you suffer," he whispered in my ear, his breath hot and sticky against my skin._

_I swallowed hard and felt the blade dig even deeper in my skin. I fought against a moan. _

_He was going to kill me. I knew it. So why couldn't he just stab me and get it over with? Why play around? I knew there was no way I could escape. If I tried he'd find me again. He always found me in the end._

_He wanted me to die. Now, he was willing to do it himself to make sure it got done._

_He was laughing, cackling, and enjoying my agony. More blood trickled down my skin._

"_You deserve to die," he whispered, glee edging into his voice._

_I swallowed hard again, trying to quench the sudden dryness in my mouth. All I resulted in doing was make the knife slice even deeper into my searing skin._

_My head spun. I couldn't focus on what he was saying._

_I was shaking, freezing. My breathing was ragged and fast, gasping, painful. It felt like I couldn't get enough oxygen. _

_I could practically feel myself dying as the blood poured from the gash on my neck._

"_You deserve to suffer."_

_Why? I never did anything! If he wanted me dead, why couldn't he just kill me already and get the damn thing over with? I'd finally given up. I'd stopped fighting. I knew there was no point._

_I didn't want to suffer anymore. I just wanted to due, for it all to end at last. I'd been suffering for almost my whole life. Wasn't that enough for him?_

_Of course not. While I'd been suffering, I'd had an outlet- swimming. It relieved my pain and made it all bearable. He hadn't had that. Now, he wanted me to suffer at his own hands, to know that he had caused the agony I was going through._

_The burning from the cut started to fade. Actually, my entire body was starting to go numb. I was becoming harder to move my body at all._

_And the whole time he was laughing his horrible bone-chilling laugh._

_Why couldn't he just end it now?_

_He pressed even deeper. I felt my face contort as I fought the agony. God, please make it stop. Why couldn't it just stop?_

_I felt him pull the blade away, but the cold air just made the wound seem all the worse. I could feel the torrents of blood streaming down my skin._

_I tried to open my mouth to scream, to beg him not to kill me._

_I couldn't move my mouth, though. I couldn't even beg for my life. I couldn't even groan._

_I could feel the warm blood still streaking down my neck. Why couldn't it just frickin end?_

"_Do you finally understand what it's like now?" he demanded, his tone merciless. "No, of course you don't. I've suffered for more than twenty years. You… you've suffered for maybe an hour. What you're going through right now.... That's hardly even a _fraction_ of my pain."_

_He was wrong. I'd suffered just as much as he had the past fifteen years, if not more. He took my parents from me. He made me go through everything I went through. _

_A sudden pain shot through my arm; he had stabbed me in my wrist. I tried to scream but no sound came out._

_I could hear people shouting my name, and Aro laughing. I was shaking even harder now. God, please, just let me die. I just wanna die and get it over with...._

_The pain was coming back, sharper, a thousand times worse than it had been only moments ago. Why couldn't it just stop? I'd willingly take that damn knife and stab myself, as long as the pain would stop._

_It was getting harder to breathe. Every mouthful of air had the metallic taste of blood to it, and made me feel sick._

_He was shouting something now, fear creeping into his gleeful tone. What was going on?_

_I felt the sharp edge of the knife dig into the skin on my face, slicing the skin open in a deep gash from my temple to my chin._

_It felt like I was underwater. I couldn't breathe, and everything I heard was distorted. My head was spinning and I couldn't move any part of my body._

_It became harder still to breathe. Would it kill him to just stab me and end it now? Or did he believe he wouldn't be sent to prison if I didn't die right then and there? As stupid as that was, that's the least sadistic reasoning I could think of. I knew it wasn't why we wouldn't kill me, but it was better to think about than the alternative._

_My life force was fleeing with ever drop of blood that snaked down my skin. Every moment I was drifting closer to eternal peace, to death. It was finally ending...._

"Edward!" Someone far away called. "Please, Edward, wake up!"

_I could barely feel it as he shoved the knife into my flesh. I couldn't hear what he was saying, even though I knew he was saying something. _

_I knew I was shaking, but I couldn't feel the pain that I knew should be searing through my body._

_I was dying. I knew I was. _

"Edward, I swear to God, I'll throw water on me if you don't wake up!" the voice was hissing now. "Please, Edward, wake up!"

_Finally, _finally_, I felt the sharp pain as he stabbed me and the sudden stillness of my body as I finally died. It was finally over. I had been so sick of living, anyway. Dying wasn't really that bad, when you thought about it...._

_He had won, big deal. In the end, who had ended it more gallantly, me or him? He had killed me because of a twenty year long grudge he'd had against my mother. I had fought against him for almost fifteen years for my life. In the end, I had grown weary, but at least I had no grudge against him. He'd taken my life, and finally ended the tedious suffering of everyday life._

_Aro had finally won._

My eyes flew open with a gasp. I bolted upright, gasping, trying to catch oxygen that didn't seem to be there. I couldn't breathe, but I was alive. It had just been a dream… He hadn't killed me….

Cloth was twisted around my body. It took a couple seconds to free my hands from the damp fabric.

My hand flew to my throat, feeling around for the cut that wasn't there. I needed to know it had just been a dream. I needed to know Aro hadn't actually attempted to kill me again.

I was shaking. It was_ freezing_. I ran my hands across my arms, trying to create a small but of friction to warm up a bit….

My skin was wet, and for a fleeting moment, I thought it was blood. Maybe it hadn't been a dream after all. It had been so real….

But then I realized I was drenched in a cold sweat, not warm blood. It really had just been a dream.

But that had been one hell of a nightmare, that was for damn sure. My nightmares were never like that. Sure, sometime they were slightly distorted to mimic whatever could have been bothering me at the time. But they never… at least the ones I could remember had never been like that. They were never so vivid, or so… my nightmares always reflected things that had happened in my past. My mind was normally too exhausted to create something as horrifying as that.

My breathing was fast and shallow. As hard as I tried to even it out, I couldn't.

"Edward?"

I jumped at the soft sound, and shook even harder.

Her warm arms wrapped around me, pulling me close to her. "What happened?"

I held her close to me, glad for her warmth. It was so cold….

"You're white as a ghost," her warm fingers trailed across my face. "You had another nightmare, didn't you?"

I bit my lip, and pressed my cheek against her soft hair, trying to catch my breath.

"Talk to me, Edward?" her gentle voice begged. "Please?"

"Bella," I whispered.

"I'm here, Edward."

"Michael and Jordan?" I asked, trying not only to distract myself, but to distract her.

"Seriously?" she asked, surprised. "They aren't back yet."

God, stay out late enough? Eddie was going to kill them in the morning.

"C'mon, Edward, quit avoiding the question."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"I'm fine."

"You're shaking, covered in sweat, and still out of breath and you want me to believe you when you say you're fine?" she asked. "I'm not going to bite your head off. You need to stop blocking everyone out. It's not helping any, and you know it."

Ugh, damn it, why'd she have to be right?

"Fine. Yes. Happy?" I muttered, probably a little too harshly.

"No." she whispered. "I wish this didn't keep happening to you."

And I wish I didn't have to put her through this.

"I'm fine, honestly. Just a little shaken up."

"I don't- you can't- what brought them back?"

"I dunno." There really wasn't a point in telling her; she and I both knew.

"Exhausting yourself isn't working." It wasn't a question.

"Guess not."

"Lay back down," Bella whispered after a moment. She pressed her hand against my shoulder, like she was trying to force me to lie down.

"Do I have to?"

"You should. You look like your ready to collapse any minute."

"I'm fine."

"Sure you are. Can't you just trust me for once?"

"I've trusted you since the first time I met you," I mumbled, but all the same, I heeded her wishes and laid back down, pulling her down next to me. She wasn't going anywhere.

I heard her laugh a little. "What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"You did to say something," Bella said. "Tell me. Please?"

"I said I've trusted you since the first time I met you."

"Oh… wait, what? You lost me, sorry."

"Don't apologize, love."

"Ugh, you're talking weird again." Bella mumbled. "But I like it. It's not that bad, actually."

"Mmmhm," I mumbled, glad to be off the discussion of my nightmares.

"I still don't get what you mean though."

"I dunno about you sometimes, Bella." I sighed.

"Shut up," she laughed quietly. "It's not my fault. Sometimes I can be a little spacey."

"Obviously."

"Will you please tell me what you mean?"

"Ugh, fine." I paused, thinking carefully about how to word it. "I guess… ever since I first met you I knew I could trust you. Like… at nationals… I knew my sister had just dragged you there so you guys could hang out but… I dunno. I didn't even know why I told you almost everything about myself when I barely knew you. I think I know why now, though."

"And your reasoning would be…?" Bella asked quietly, pressing her head against my chest.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, drawing her even closer to me. "Because from the moment I met you, even if I didn't consciously know it, I trusted you and was in love with you." I may not have been physically aware of it, but I knew it was true. I wasn't one to pay much attention to my emotions, but as I looked back, I knew it was true.

"Huh."

"Please don't tell me you still don't get it," I mock-groaned.

"That's not what I meant! God! I thought at first it was because you didn't let what happened to you bother you. Then I realized exactly how much you had kept from me and why, and I realized that everything you told me… was everything… I dunno how to put it."

"Safe? That I didn't have to worry about anymore?"

"Yeah," she said. "I guess… because of the way Alice talked about you… I wanted to accept that as everything you'd been through… I didn't want to believe your life had been anymore hellish than what you'd told me, I guess."

"My life's only hellish when you're not there." I whispered softly, playing with a strand of her hair.

"But I was awake for like, half your nightmare, and I'm pretty sure what you were going through was the definition of hell."

Argh, not back to that again….

"That wasn't anything."

"Didn't look like it." Bella muttered. "Edward, you do know that if you told someone what happened, it'll help clear your head of it, right?"

I closed my eyes for a moment and swallowed hard. It was bad enough I had to deal with them myself. I didn't want Bella to have to put up with my problems too.

"I guess," I paused for a second. I didn't want to tell her too much but… she was right. I did need to tell someone about it… as much as I really didn't want to. I started again. "I guess I'm still pretty freaked out about what happened." I prayed it was just enough that she got the picture and wouldn't question me any farther.

"I guess I sorta figured that out," she replied softly. "But god, Edward… for a moment, I thought you were possessed, you were shaking so hard in your sleep. It took _forever_ to wake you up."

"Yeah… I heard you while I was sleeping. You kept yelling at me to wake up… and threatening me?"

She laughed a little. "Sorry about that… I didn't know what else to do. I needed you to wake up, but you just kept on sleeping."

"It was pretty bad," I admitted, reluctance edging my voice. I honestly didn't want to go into detail, but I could admit that much without being interrogated, right?

"How bad is 'pretty bad'?" Bella asked carefully.

"What's the worst bloodbath movie you've ever seen?"

"I've never really liked bloodshed too much."

"Okay well… have you ever seen _any_ movie with bloodshed in it?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, almost all movies have some form of bloodshed these days."

"Well… imagine you're the one getting killed, not the actor. But, even though you know who's doing it, you can't see them. The only thing you can do is lie there helplessly while he shoves a knife into your throat, but you don't die right then. It takes you forever to die. And all the while, he just stands there, _taunting _you, enjoying your suffering, because it's the only thing he's ever wanted, to make you suffer for something that was out of your control. For something you weren't even_ alive_ for."

She was silent for awhile. I stayed quiet, letting her think that over. I kept twirling a strand of her hair around my fingers, though.

"I don't… Edward, are your nightmares always like that?" she asked, her tone growing anguished.

"No," I said quickly. "God, no. I-I think that was the first time I've ever had a nightmare… as horrible as that. Normally they're just my memories. I'm almost always too mentally exhausted for something like that"

"Oh," Bella whispered. "But not this time."

"Not this time," I agreed.

"Promise you'll tell me if you _ever_ have another nightmare. I don't care whether it's just a normal one or something awful. You don't have to go about this alone, Edward. You know that. I'll _always_ be here for you."

"I know," I told her. "I've known that since the moment I met you."

"_Promise_ me you'll tell me if you have another nightmare."

"I will," I told. I'll try to, I added silently. The nightmares made my life hell enough. I didn't want her to have to put up with them to. Nor did I want her to feel responsible for them. I didn't want her to have to sit there, and watch me go through that, either.

"Good. I just… I hate watching you suffer like that. I hate knowing that everything Aro did to you still haunts you the way it does. I know you hate telling anybody that something's bothering you… but Edward, you know me. i only wanna help."

I nodded. "I know, Bella." I kissed her delicately on her cheek. "Believe me, I know."

I heard the door open and shut, almost too loudly, and Jordan's and Michael's hushed voices were audible in the silence.

For a moment, I considered giving the two of them a hard time, then I thought better of it. It'd be funnier to listen to Eddie shout at them tomorrow for swimming like zombies than to chew them out now.

I heard Jordan collapse against his bed and groan quietly.

Before long, his breathing was even, as was Bella's. I held her as close to me as I could, but all the same, I couldn't fall back asleep.

I was going to get chewed out at practice too, I knew it. At least I had a decent excuse… sort of.

I thought about getting up and getting another pain pill. The longer I stayed awake, the stronger the throb in my knee was becoming. I didn't though. for one, getting up sounded way too difficult when all I wanted to do was catch a couple hours more of sleep, and for another, getting up would mean I'd have to leave Bella. I spend enough time away from her already.

That got me thinking about London. What the hell was I going to do during the Olympics? I'd be in the Olympic Village… and only the team's coaches and the athletes were allowed to stay there.

What the hell was I doing? How could a _blind_ person swim at the Olympics against fully abled competition, and expect to come out on top? i was in way over my head.

But it was too late to back out now. The Olympics started in exactly two weeks. I had thought I could do it, had thought I could compete against the top swimmers in the world, but I knew I couldn't.

I tried to shake the thoughts out of my head. Sure, the other swimmers would be faster, but I was faster too. I could _feel_ it. I knew I could go faster than I had in Omaha. I was swimming faster than ever in practice, and I was able to keep that pace up for almost the whole practice, even after those six days off. I knew I was more powerful than I had been before, and I knew I had it in me to swim my best, no matter who my competition was. Competition had never mattered to me before Omaha. I used to have trouble concentrating, and now I was more focused than ever. I knew it was because of my competition that I focused better. I knew what I had to do if I wanted to beat who I was swimming against. For some, I knew their styles almost as well as my own. I knew exactly how they liked to hit their turns, their average number of strokes, all of it. A couple years ago I had listened to countless lectures about each swimmer on the '08 team. At the time, I had found the information unnecessary. Now, I could try to use it to my advantage.

And yet… each day, I could find myself growing more and more nervous. During the day, I hardly paid attention to it, though I knew it was there. It was easier to act like I knew what I was doing than to admit I didn't.

I finally fell asleep when my watch went off four or five times.

--

My watch's alarm woke me up the following morning. I felt like I hadn't managed to catch any sleep at all. Hell, Jordan and Michael probably got more sleep than I did, and that's saying something. Of course, I had no actual idea of when they got back, but still, it couldn't have been before midnight.

It took me a moment to realize Bella wasn't lying next to me like she had been before. That woke me up just a little bit more, and reminded me I did actually have to get up.

I wasn't exactly looking forward to practice, but it was our last practice before we left for the England training camp, so that provided some small comfort. Of course, even though Eddie was going to start laying off the long distances and pushing us more with the intensity, I knew today's practice wasn't exactly going to be easy. Eddie had to make up for the time we would miss out of the water over the next couple of days.

After a couple more minutes of procrastinating, I finally got out of bed and changed into sweats and my suit. I wasn't exactly hungry, but I still dragged myself into the kitchen for some breakfast.

"Look who's finally awake," Jordan said. "And I thought we had a habit of over sleeping."

"Believe me, you do." I muttered, grabbing a bowl and a box of cereal.

Jordan laughed. "I'm messing with you man. I could hear you tossing and turning all night. You deserved to have gotten a couple hours in. Are Eddie's practices not knocking you out anymore?"

"I wish they would." I grabbed a bottle of Gatorade out of the refrigerator and sat down at the table.

"That sucks. Well, if luck is with you and against us, then today's practice will be one hell of a massacre."

I couldn't help but grin a little. "Oh, c'mon, J, you know they aren't that hard. And you have fun." I poured cereal into my bowl, and started shoveling food into my mouth.

"Yeah… for the first, what, two hundred meters? After that, the fun diminishes."

"Practice isn't that bad. And the sets aren't exactly torture." I pointed out. When we did them, it may seem like they were. But in retrospect, they honestly could be worse. As in a there's no way in heaven or hell we're ever going to get those sets done sort of way.

"Ugh. Don't say that. next thing we know, Eddie'll be running in here telling us to listen to you and that practices are going to be a lot harder from here on out."

"We're tapering. He can't make them _that_ hard."

"That's it. You've officially lost it."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say."

"You're _agreeing _with me?" Jordan asked incredulously.

"Yup."

"Okay, I know for a fact that it's nowhere near April. Since when do you agree with me lately?"

"Apparently, right now."

"I must be in an alternate universe. I know for sure you'd never agree with me. You're normally too busy yelling at me to shut up."

"You mean like I'm about to right now?"

"Yeah, actually. That's exactly what I mean."

"Then maybe I won't yell at you, just to annoy you."

"Oh God, please don't annoy him," I heard Michael groan. "It's not something I need to listen to this early in the morning."

"Aren't you guys normally the ones annoying me?" I asked.

"Yeah, and now I know how you feel when we start bickering." Michael mumbled.

"We'll shut up," I said, and went back to eating my cereal.

"That'll fill you up?" Michael asked amazement in his voice. "Cereal and Gatorade?"

I shrugged. "Not hungry."

"Practice'll be hard today."

"I'll live."

"Michael's right, man, you gotta eat more than that."

"Are you guys turning into my parents now or something?" I asked. "'Cause you're honestly acting just like them."

"We are not!" Jordan protested. "Okay… maybe a little bit."

"My point exactly," I screwed the cap off the Gatorade, and drained half of it. "J, you were up early, right?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know what time Bella left?"

"Not long before you came stumbling out here. Why?"

"God, am I not allowed to be curious?"

"Be curious all you want. It won't hide the fact that you've got it bad, bro."

I grinned slightly. "I know I do." And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, I added silently.

"she told me to tell you when you wake up that she had to go do something and she'd be around later," Jordan went on.

I nodded, scooped a couple more mouthfuls of cereal, and got up to put my dished in the sink before taking a pain pill. My knee wasn't killing me- yet. I knew it'd be giving me a hard time in an hour or so, though.

A couple minutes later, Michael, Jordan and I were walking to the pool. I was hardly paying attention to what Michael and Jordan were going on about. I figured it was just something stupid (again) like another damn card game. I'd heard every argument they could ever come up with. It was all too easy to zone the two of them out now.

"Man, I _hate _reporters," Jordan muttered suddenly, snapping me back to their conversation.

Michael started laughing, and I grinned a little bit. "Most normal people do. Why randomly announce it?"

"It wasn't random! I _swear_ this same guy has been following us for like, two freaking blocks."

"How do you know it's a reporter and not some psychotic swimming fan stalking you for your autograph?" Michael asked, obviously trying hard not to laugh.

"I dunno! I just hate it when people follow me around all the time. especially people who constantly ask questions. It's like, don't you have anything better to do with your life than drive me insane?"

"And you're positive it's a reporter? I mean, it could just be some guy going to work or heading down somewhere near the pool." I pointed out. "or, as Michael said, some Jordan obsessed swim-freak who thinks you're an amazing swimmer and is desperate to meet you, hence the stalking."

"Ugh, that doesn't help any. I still hate people following me, whether they're _technically_ following me or not."

"And what if they were stalking me or Edward?" Michael asked. "Would they still freak you out then?"

"They have reason to stalk the two of you. I mean, Michael, you're the greatest freaking Olympian ever, and Edward's not only the first visually impaired Olympian ever, but he's also your only real competition. They got reason to stalk the two of you and as far as I'm concerned, anyone that keeps them well the hell away from me is a saint sent straight down from heaven."

I couldn't help but laugh. "God, man, what'd they ever do to you?"

"Drive me insane, that's what! I mean, seriously, so you break a world record, and you make the Olympic team, they don't have to start shoving cameras in your face and driving you up a wall."

"There's no such thing as personal space when it comes to those guys," Michael noted as the familiar humidity of the pool deck washed over my skin.

"Ugh I _need _personal space though. Especially when the people invading it are shouting questions at me that have the most obvious answers ever that even a freaking animal could answer them."

"You're both gonna hate those press conferences then." Michael said.

"Ugh man, why'd you have to go and remind me? Hundreds of reporters-," Jordan muttered.

"Shouting questions at you in multiple languages-," I added.

"That no normal person could ever understand-," Jordan grumbled.

"And having to sit through that," I continued.

"Would seriously suck," Jordan summed up. "Hey, Edward, how opposed are you to holing up in a hotel room and hiding for eight days?"

I laughed as Michael asked, "what are you gonna do about your swims?"

"Simple. You get down to the pool as fast as you can while still conserving energy for your race, get in for warm up, stretch out and get pumped, swim like a mad man is after you, and get the hell out of there as soon as your done getting yelled at by Eddie."

"Eddie doesn't always yell," I pointed out.

"Yeah well… he would after you practically kill yourself for one race and screw up your stroke technique in the process."

"Good point."

I dropped my bag when I heard two other hit the deck, and I quickly started stretching out.

Before long, we were jumping into the water for our last practice at Palo Alto.

--

I leaned my head against the window, trying hard not to fall asleep. In a few hours, we'd be landing in northern England for the last week and a half of training before the Olympics.

Just thinking about the short amount of time left made my stomach knot tightly. As much as I wanted to believe I was ready, as much as I tried to convince myself I could do this, I couldn't stop the doubt that flooded my mind. I knew I probably wouldn't be sure I could do this until after my first prelim in London, which, although the start of the Olympics seemed unbearably near, seemed ages away.

I wanted to believe I was ready, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Trying to strategize my races just made me more nervous, and made the pressure seem that much greater. But if I didn't start to strategize my races soon, I was going to be screwed when the Games started.

On top of all that, Eddie was going to start lying off the distances as soon as the next camp started. Sure, the intensity would build, so it would feel like we were swimming the same amount, but in the end, we really would be swimming a lot less. Of course, that meant I'd also have a little bit more time to spend with Bella, but that also meant I'd have a harder time getting to sleep, and the nerves would get to me even more than they already were.

I owed one to Eddie, though, despite the fact that he had to make practices easier. (We were tapering after all, it was the way things had to work out.) Eddie had set it all up (without my knowledge) for Bella to my 'guide', as he put it (God, I hate wording it that way). The only downside was that's he couldn't stay in the Olympic Village, which I found understandable. All the same, the way he had worked this entire thing out in just a couple of weeks was incredible. Normally no one aside form Olympians and coaches were allowed inside the village, and _anyone_ without a pass couldn't get in or out. I didn't even want to know how he had managed to get it set up. I was definitely glad he had though.

Bella leaned her head against my shoulder. "Whacha thinking about?" she asked quietly.

"This and that," I whispered.

"You're thinking about the Games aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" I asked teasingly.

"Its cool if you do. Just don't over analyze your swims. Just let your body go into autopilot. You know what you have to do, and over thinking your swims can mess you up."

"I haven't really had a chance to over analyze my swims. Hell, just thinking up a strategy isn't possible."

"Oh c'mon! This is basically just a swim meet, right? Screw the competition. You're just racing, trying to beat your times, and the other swimmers, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then there's no need to get nervous, right? Just do everything your coach and Eddie have told you and don't kill yourself on the breaststroke. Aside from that, everything'll be all right, right?"

"You make it sound so simple."

"Because technically, it is simple. Your mind builds it up to something more fearsome than what it really is. If you just look at it the way it really is, a swim meet, then the nerves ease up a bit, and you're able to focus more."

I nodded. She had a point there. It is just swim meet. Yeah, the competition are the fastest swimmers in the world, but aside from that, there wasn't anything really anything different to distinguish this meet from any other meet I'd swam at.

I just needed to focus, but not over do it. If I ended up over thinking my swims, I'd end up screwing everything up. But relaxing wasn't one of my strong points.

"You know what always works?" when I shook my head she continued. "Just breathe. Forget about the Games, and just relax. If you don't focus too much and just let yourself go into autopilot, you swim the way you're supposed to. Your stroke won't be tight, and you'll hit your turns just right. All you have to do is breathe."

I sighed. "I'm just… I've had the times for ages, yet I've never swam at a world class level outside of the American-Canadian disability championships, and a couple other meets like that. I could've gone to Pan-Pacs or even Worlds with the times I had, and I never did. It's just… unnerving to swim at a world class level for the first time, especially when it's one of the only televised meets in America. There's just so much pressure."

"Sometimes I forget you've never swam at such a high level before." Bella told me. "When you swam at the Trials, it was like you've swam against those guys every day of your life, in practice and at meets. I don't think it should matter that you've never swam against any athletes at the Games. Just swim the race the best you can. Do you think anyone would care if you don't do as well as you want to? Just swimming in the Olympics is an incredible accomplishment for anyone. Just enjoy the experience, and quit putting the pressure on yourself. In a week and a half, you'll be showing the whole world exactly what you're made of, and the world will finally realize that Edward Cullen is probably one of the most dedicated people out there."

She was right. Well… mostly right. I didn't exactly agree with the last bit, but I did need to relax and just enjoy the ride. Making it to the Olympics was something I never dreamed possible, not even in the back of my mind. Proving myself wrong with her help and encouragement had been incredible. Swimming fast in London may be expected of me, and I was definitely going to swim fast. But I also needed to enjoy the whole thing. The pressure I felt for doing well wasn't coming from anyone else but myself, and I knew it. I wanted to beat my times, and I wanted to prove to people that just because I'm blind doesn't mean I can't swim just as fast as other athletes.

But for Bella, and every other swimmer who's afraid to set their goals to high in fear of never reaching them, I wanted to do well and prove to them that just because I had a couple traumatic things happen to me when I was a kid, and just because I'm blind now, it doesn't stop me from trying to do my best. Bella helped me realize that, and I wanted to help swimmer's all over the world realize that too.

--

The England training camp passed faster than I ever dreamed possible. It seemed like one minute I was jumping in the water for our first practice, and the next, I was climbing out after our last, and listening to Eddie give one last after-practice lecture.

On the twenty-fifth of July, we were flying to London and moving into the Olympic Village. Once more, I was rooming with Jordan and Michael, as well as two other veterans and another rookie.

The twenty-sixth, the day before the opening ceremonies, was spent mostly trying to kill time and just overall find something to do that wouldn't kill my pent up energy, but would keep my mind off my races just enough that I didn't over strategize, but I didn't need to get too distracted. I did want to plan out exactly how I was going to swim my prelim for my two hundred I.M.

I barely ate anything the twenty fifth or the twenty sixth and when Bella stopped by the morning of the twenty seventh, I knew she could tell. I knew going off food wasn't helping matters any, but I just couldn't bring myself to eat much when I was this nervous. I knew I hadn't been anywhere near this nervous before the Trials. Hell, I'd never felt nerves this violent in my entire life.

Bella dragged me off to breakfast at a café. As much as I protested that I wasn't hungry, she just went on ignoring me, insisting that I had to eat. In the end, I had to give in to her. She was right, of course, and it was pointless to argue. Not eating could affect my energy for tomorrow, and I knew I was definitely going to need it.

After Bella forced me to eat every last bite of my breakfast, I definitely didn't feel much better. I was just as nervous as I had been before, if not more. There was less than twelve hours until the opening ceremonies started, less than twenty four until my first prelim.

As I thought about how little time there was left, I could help but think, _what the hell have I gotten myself into_?

Suddenly, Bella started laughing. Not loudly, but enough that I could hear it.

"What's up?" I asked curiously.

Before she could answer, another voice answered for her.

"Hi, Edward!"

I knew that cute little voice.

"Hey, Lily," I said. I couldn't stop from grinning. There was just something about Lily that always seemed to help whatever was bothering me go away.

"Are you gonna be at the opening ceremonies tonight, Edward?" Lily asked, excitement evident in her voice. In could just imagine what it must be like for her- eight years old, and being able to watch the Olympics in person. For anybody that would be a dream come true.

"Actually kiddo, I plan on sleeping tonight while the ceremonies are going on."

"What?" lily asked, shocked. "Why?"

"'Cause I have to wake up and swim tomorrow morning. I have my two hundred I.M. and I need to make sure I get enough sleep."

"But… do you have to miss the opening ceremonies? They're supposed to be really good!"

"I know. And believe me, I don't wanna miss 'em, but I gotta get some sleep tonight so I'll be ready for my race tomorrow."

"Are you nervous?"

I was a little taken aback by the suddenness of her question. "Yeah. A little bit. Why? I asked.

"I dunno. Before one of my meets I'm always nervous. And then I do really well. It's okay to be nervous. Everyone gets nervous. It'll be okay. You're gonna do awesome this next week, Edward. I know you will."

And in that short moment, I knew she was right. Just like Bella, she was right. I knew I was faster, I could _feel_ it, for God's sake. It was okay to be nervous, but when common sense took over, I knew I didn't need to be. I was swimming faster than ever before, and I knew I could swim lifetime bests this next week. I just needed to relax and, as Bella said, let my body got into autopilot. The nerves would just screw up my swims. Staying relaxed is what I needed.

"Thanks, Lily," I told her, smiling a little bit more. She was right, and I knew it. I could swim fast this next week. All I had to do was try my hardest.

I was ready for this.

**Okay. So, this past… what has it been a month already? Ok then, this past month has been just plain evil. Algebra homework, projects galore, not to mention all the extra work I had to put into swimming left me exhausted. Not that I'm complaining of course, but that left me with less time to write and more time to let you guys suffer, which is the last thing I want. Anyway, so, I have a meet next weekend, so I'll try to get another chapter u0p this week, but if I can't don't bite my head off! I'm going on a trip the weekend after that with my family, and I promise i'll get more than half the chapter written on the train rides, that way all I have to do is type it up over spring break. Sound good, guys?**

**Review!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey guys! I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter, and this I really hope you like this one. I've had this chapter planned out for ages now, and finally being able to type it up is awesome. I'm still totally in swimming mode, even though my meet the other weekend was definitely one of my worst. I made finals in the hundred fly, even though I did place last, so at least that's something.**

Chapter Thirty One

From the moment I woke up the following morning, I was practically bouncing off the walls.

Okay, not exactly, but I was pretty damn jittery.

I'd had a hard enough time getting to sleep the night before to begin with, and staying asleep had been even harder. Now, staying awake wasn't the problem. Not killing all my energy before I even got to the pool was.

All I had was the prelim for the two hundred I.M. this morning, but that was enough to send my nerves over the edge. If I did one thing wrong with my breaststroke, I knew I'd be screwed for the next seven and a half days. If I went out too strong in my fly, I may not have enough energy to get through the rest of the race. If I didn't bring it home strong enough in the freestyle, I may not make the semis tonight. But if I swam the race _too_ strongly, I may not be able to make the finals because my energy would be spent.

Trying not to over-think the race and all the possible things I could do wrong was nearly impossible. But I needed to strategize. I knew I really wouldn't be able to do anything but strategize until I got into the water for warm up, and maybe not even until I climbed up on the block.

On top of all that, I felt sick to my stomach with nerves. I knew I had to eat something to keep my energy up, but I couldn't. I knew it wasn't even worth it to try. Maybe, if I could get this one damned race out of the way, I could eat. As much as I doubted that was true, part of me still believed it.

Twenty minutes before warm ups were set to start, Bella and I were walking into the aquatics center. I was longing for warm ups to start. It wasn't just that I wanted to get into the water; it was practically a compulsive need. I _needed_ to be back in the water; to have that comfort swimming had always given me.

I didn't protest to the simplicity of Eddie's warm up sets, either. I needed to conserve energy, not kill myself during warm up. As much as I hated simple sets because they didn't distract me enough, I was actually thankful for these. All the same, warm up didn't help my nerves any. Sometimes just being in the water would be enough to calm my nerves down. Obviously, this morning wasn't one of those cases.

When I climbed out of the water after warm up, I felt as if I'd barely swam a whole lap of the pool, let alone a good two thousand to two and a half thousand meters.

In the ready room, I wasn't much better than I had been in my room back at the village. The classical music on my iPod didn't help me calm myself at all. If anything, it only made me jumpier.

I wanted to get up on the blocks. I wanted to swim that two hundred. But at the same time, I couldn't help but wish that there was more time. Time to train, time to mentally prepare myself for this… just plain _time_.

And of course, when you want time to slow down, all it does is speed right on up. One minute, I was just listening to my iPod, the next, I had to change into my team suit and get ready for my race.

I barely listened to what Eddie told me before Bella and I walked out on to the deck. All I remember was hearing him say good luck.

Sure, I'd swum this race about a thousand times, both in practice and in meets, and I _knew_ how to swim it. I knew my strategy. I knew my stroke count. I knew this race inside and out. But all the same, I was _nervous_. I knew I didn't have to be, but I was. There were so many things that could go wrong... but at the same time, there were so many things I could do right. I just had to do this.

I kicked my shoes off, shrugged my track jacket off my shoulders, and pulled off my warm up sweats. I just had to focus, but not over do it.

I snapped my cap down over my hair, pulled my goggles on, and pulled my second cap on to secure them.

I stood there for a moment, then I let my eyes slide shut and did something I'd never done before a race.

I actually _breathed_, letting myself relax, letting my body go into autopilot mode. I let the oxygen wash the nerves from my system. I knew how I was going to swim this race. All I could do was swim to the best of my abilities and see where it went from there.

I was competing for a spot in the top sixteen. I knew that I was going to need the energy for the race tonight if I made it, so I couldn't go too fast. Still, to place in the top sixteen in the _world_ I was going to have to turn my speed up a notch.

I needed to swim this race just right to make the semis, and still be able to push myself enough in the semis to make the top eight.

And I had to be able to do all that without killing my knee in the process.

My eyes flew open, my determination renewed.

I was ready for this. I'd been training for this for months. It was finally here, and I was finally ready.

My first race of the Olympics, and I was finally ready. I wasn't nervous anymore. I just had to swim this race as best I could, and deal with what was yet to come.

The starting official blew the whistle and I climbed up on to the block, leaning forward, arms loose, waiting for the call to take our marks.

"Take your marks." I gripped the edge of the block, just loosely enough that I'd be able to get off fast, but tense enough that I wouldn't go too soon.

_Beep_.

And just like that, I was off the block. I could barely feel the water as I dove into it.

Six fast, strong dolphin kicks before breaking out of my streamline into fast, hard fly.

Fifteen strokes. It was fifteen strokes form one wall to the other. Less if I picked up speed, more if I slowed down. I was going at just the right pace to hit the wall square on. I just had to keep it steady.

I kept up my speed, counting down each stroke as I completed it.

Three strokes, two strokes, one. I hit the wall perfectly, at full extension. I did a fast Texas turn, took on fast dolphin kick that put me from my side to my back, did another hard dolphin kick, careful not to push it, and started my backstroke pulls.

I kicked hard as I dared, trying not to mess up my knee, but still trying to put speed to my stroke.

I touched the other wall and turned, taking that one allocated dolphin kick before starting my underwater pullout.

That first stroke I took was dreaded, but I had to do it, to get through this lap. If I went too slowly, I could always try to make up my speed in the last fifty.

As I shoved my hands forward, I brought my legs around in a powerful kick, anticipating the pain I'd grown accustomed to in the past few months.

But none came.

Still, I was cautious. I did my next stroke, and another. With each kick I expected that familiar flare of pain, though none ever came.

I pushed myself a little harder, not too much, but a little. I knew my knee wasn't healed, but if I could put it under a little more stress without it hurting, I was going to.

Each stroke was more powerful than the one preceding it, but I kept my kicks about the same intensity. Not too fast, but definitely not too slow.

I touched the wall squarely, did another Texas turn, and got off fast. I did five dolphin kicks before breaking out in a strong freestyle sprint, kicking hard and trying to keep my turnover rate higher than normal. I counted my strokes, and hit the timing pad perfectly, my stroke count evenly matched with the one I had memorized.

I leaned against the wall, barely breathing hard. I hadn't even taken three breathes the entire last lap, and I wasn't even out of breath, now, at the end of the race.

I felt relived. I'd been able to do it- swim the race just the way I wanted without using up all my energy I was going to need for tonight. i had no idea if I'd beaten my time- which hadn't been the best to begin with- but it didn't matter. I'd managed to get through this race just fine. The nerves were gone, and I had a feeling I wouldn't feel anything along their caliber for at least another eight hours, minimum.

I heard the other swimmers climbing out of the water, and I pulled myself up onto the deck as well. Screw my time- in my mind, I had done awesome. I'd managed not to hurt my knee the entire race, and still swim the race the way I wanted. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start the Olympics then that.

It made me believe that maybe, just maybe, I could actually do this.

I pulled my caps off, and gratefully accepted the towel Bella pressed into my hands. I rubbed it over my face and my hair before draping it over my shoulders.

Finally, Bella spoke up.

"You have _no idea_ how… I can't even put in to words how amazing that race was. Every _aspect_ of it was beautiful- your stroke, your turns, your start, your finish, _everything_. Your entire race was absolutely flawless. I don't think… I don't think I've ever seen such… breath-taking swimming in my entire life." She said, her excitement practically tangible. "And of course, your time just happened to be, oh I dunno, maybe half a second slower than the existing world record?"

God _damn_. My time after the prelims in the Trials had been a one fifty four. I never even paid attention to what it was after the finals. "How fast exactly are we talking?"

"One fifty one point thirty seven?"

Holy _crap_.

I felt a grin spread across my face. "You're serious?"

"Dead serious. That time puts you, so far, second on the semis list. Michael hasn't swam yet, though."

"He's in the last heat?"

"Yeah."

I nodded. "Damn," was all I could say.

Bella laughed. "C'mon. Eddie'll murder me if you don't go and warm down."

I nodded again. I was at loss for words. A one fifty one point thirty seven. That was… that was faster than I'd ever dreamed of being able to swim.

And I'd barely even tapped into my energy I had stored up.

For a preliminary race, and by my own personal standards, that was incredible. Hell, breaking one fifty five was something I still found incredible and I had done that over a month ago.

Holy crap, had it really only been a _month_?

Then it hit me- I might be able to break one fifty in the semis tonight. As the idea crossed my mind, I couldn't help but grin a little bit more. Breaking one fifty would be kick ass awesome, whether it was in the semis or the finals. Hell, even if I didn't break one fifty until _three years _from now, it'd _still_ be kick ass awesome.

"What'cha grinning 'bout?" Bella asked.

"Nothing… just thinking."

"About that race?"

"About tonight, actually."

"Just don't over think it," Bella cautioned.

"I'm just strategizing."

"Just do what you just did, only a little bit faster, and you'll be good to go."

"Are you trying to go Coach on me?"

"That depends. Is it working?"

"To a certain degree, yes."

"Good."

"Cullen! Warm down!" I heard one of the assistant coaches yell.

"You coulda told me we were at the arm down pool," I said, pulling my cap back on.

"Well, technically, we just walked onto the pool deck, and before that, we weren't even at the warm down pool, and we were definitely no where near the pools edge."

"Mmkay, I'll late your word for it."

"You should. Now go warm down. We can grab something to eat after. You've gotta be starving."

Up until then I hadn't realized exactly how hungry I was. But right when she mentioned getting something to eat, I noticed I was ravenous. I had good reason to be, too, excluding the fact that I'd just swam a two hundred in personal record time. I'd practically starved myself these past few days. I hadn't been able to eat but maybe a meal or so a day, despite how badly I knew I was going to need the nourishment. I just hadn't been able to bring myself to eat.

I did a long, simple warm down set one of the assistant coaches had me do.

Once I was done warming down, the assistant coach went over my split times, what I did wrong, what I actually did right, and I what I needed to remember for tonight's semi. (As of the last heat, I was seeded fifth.) Once that was over with I was told to get some sleep and eat something.

After all that, and drug testing, Bella and I caught a bus.

Once we had taken our seats, she rested her head on my shoulder, and I curled my arm around her.

We were both silent for a few minutes, left to our own thoughts.

"Now will you tell me exactly what you were thinking about earlier?" Bella asked suddenly. "'Cause I know it had to be more than just that race you have tonight. That look on your face… it was like you had just plotted an entire world takeover."

"World takeover?" Seriously? I couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, because it's always been my _dream_ to rule the world."

"Cut the sarcasm." She reprimanded. "I just meant that it looked like you had huge plans and forgive me for worrying about the well-being of the other swimmers."

"I wasn't gonna do anything to them!" I protested.

"I know you wouldn't. But what exactly were you planning?"

"The best way to break one fifty."

"You weren't kidding when you said you were strategizing. I'd love to watch you break one fifty."

"I don't care if I do it tonight, tomorrow, hell, even thirty years form now. I just wanna beat that damn time."

"I don't think it'll take thirty years to beat that."

"I sure as hell hope not. Thirty years is a long time."

"Thirty years to drop two seconds? You're right that is a long time." Bella agreed. "Don't worry, though. You'll do it. I know you will."

I nodded, and grinned slightly. "I want to break one fifty so badly."

"And to think just a few months ago you were worried you wouldn't even qualify for the Trials in this event."

"My time sucked before. I had good reason to be worried."

"Your time wasn't that bad."

"There were probably twelve year olds who could've swum a two hundred faster than that."

"Well, I couldn't have swum a two hundred that fast, even if your time did suck, which it totally didn't," Bella said, brushing her lips across my cheek. "And you know it didn't."

"If you say so."

I could feel her shaking her head against my shoulder. "Why can't you just admit you're an incredible swimmer and believe in yourself for once? Why are your times never fast enough for you?"

"Well, first off, I don't want to sound conceited. And secondly, because I know my times can be faster than what they are."

"I have no doubt that your times can't be faster. I just don't see why you can't be content with your old times as well as your new ones. They show how much better you've gotten. The difference in them, I mean. You should be glad you've dropped all that time."

"Believe me, love, I'm exhilarated to have dropped that much time off one event in the past, what? Eight months? But I also have to think about what I want to do in the future, what times I want to beat, how much more time I want to drop, everything."

"I know you, and dropping a lot more time is definitely in your future. Just… don't forget about what you've been through to drop all that time."

"I could never forget that."

"I know you couldn't. It's just… a lot of people do."

"You honestly think I'm like other people in that regard?"

"Hell no!"

I laughed a little. "Good. 'Cause believe me, I'm not."

"I know. And I love that about you."

We were silent the rest of the ride. I dunno about her, but mainly I was just enjoying here company. Just the closeness- her head on my shoulders, my arm wrapped around her, my head leaning against hers- it was so pleasant. Just simple gestures like that were all I needed to know that I cared about her, deeply.

We got off the bus at the next stop, and were just walking to lunch when-.

"Edward!"

I outwardly groaned. Great. The one thing I definitely didn't need.

Hands wrapped around my face. I supposed she was _trying_ (unsuccessfully) to cover my eyes (which was actually really pointless), and was only resulting in what most bystanders would believe to be an attempt at suffocation.

I pulled her hands off my face. "Go away Tanya."

"God, why are you _always_ in a bad mood? Don't you know how to have fun every once in a while?"

"I do. I just find that impossible when you're around."

"But Eddieward...." she whined.

Okay seriously? How old does she think I am?

"_Don't_ call me that." I muttered, a dark edge to my voice.

"See? You're _always _grouchy! Why can't you-."

"Why can't _you_ just leave him alone?" Bella asked venomously.

"I don't see why he needs you to stand up for him!" Tanya snarled back. "He's perfectly able to do things himself. Why don't you just go back to your little backwoods hometown and pretend you never met him? You'd certainly be much better off!"

"Tanya, leave my girlfriend the hell alone."

"Oh, so she's your girlfriend now? But what about us, Eddieward?"

Okay, what the hell was she going on about? Me and her? That'd never happen. Tanya'd always bothered me to the point where I'd sometimes want to drown her. And right now, she was definitely crossing the line.

"Tanya, there never was a you and I. That was entirely you."

"But what about all that time we'd spend together at the pool?"

Was she drunk or something?

"It's called practice. You show up, swim laps to build up your physical abilities, bother your coaches for a few hours about stroke technique, then you go home. Is that what you're referring to?"

"No!"

"Then I definitely have no clue what you're going on about."

"Ugh, whatever. Listen, Eddieward, I need to talk to you. Would you mind giving me an interview? Pretty please?" she put on a childish voice, pleading and whining all at the same time. "I need to get an article done and sent back home for the paper."

Hell no!

"Don't call me that," I hissed. "And I've told you before. I won't give you a damn interview if my life frickin depended on it. Death would be better than what I can imagine you'd do to whatever I say in an interview."

"You're so depressing! I would never do anything to ruin your reputation!"

"That article back in June?" I asked.

"Oh, that. It's what the public needed to hear."

"_Slander_ isn't telling the public what they need to hear."

"It wasn't slander!"

"You took things I never said and wrote them down in an article in a public newspaper. Libel, slander, whatever. Either way, you publicly printed words neither Bella nor I ever said, just because of your own personal..." I struggled for the right word. "Spite."

"I'm not spiteful, for one. And another, I just wrote down what I thought was important from our conversation."

"But, you see Tanya, we never said any of that stuff. What you did was wrong." Bella said.

"C'mon Edward! I'm sorry for what I did in June! But can I please interview you? I _have _to get an article done about one of the Olympic swimmers to run in tomorrow's paper, and you're the only one people want to know about!"

"Tanya, get this is your head. I don't care about that damn paper you work at. I honestly don't. I don't care how badly you need to write an article for it, either. As far as I'm concerned, you don't have to write it about me. There's gotta be at least another fifty swimmers here from the U.S. alone. Go bother them. I don't see why you constantly have to come and bother me, but honestly Tanya? It gets old. Fast." I said evenly. I wasn't mad at her… okay maybe a little bit. But that was from her constant insistence when she knew I couldn't stand it. I just wanted her to see my point, and leave me be for once.

"But Eddiward…" she was whining again, her voice reminding me of a child who hadn't gotten her way,

"God, Tanya, just leave him the hell alone!" Bella snapped.

"I'm sorry but who are you again?" Tanya feigned confusion. "Oh wait I remember! You're Eddiward's little towel girl!"

"Tanya!" I said sharply. It was becoming harder and harder to hold back my anger. I'd had enough of her. She could annoy me all she wanted, it wouldn't… okay well, it would bother me, but I could deal with that. I could put up with the personal attacks. But when she goes and acts utterly barbaric towards Bella- _my _Bella- when she doesn't even _know_ her… that was just _way_ too much. "Leave us alone. Now. I've had enough of this."

"You're no fun anymore, Eddie!" she practically wailed.

I couldn't help but shudder at that name. "_Don't_ call me that." I muttered. "Leave us be, Tanya. Please. Just leave us be." I wasn't fighting anymore- I didn't have the energy left in me to fight her any longer. I wasn't begging, either. I was just telling her to get the hell out of her and leave me well the hell alone.

"You know what? Fine, be that way!" she growled. I heard her mumble something unintelligible and her retreating footsteps as she stormed off.

I let out a long sigh of relief. "Finally," I murmured softly.

I felt Bella wrap her arms around me. "I agree wholeheartedly," she said quietly. "Are you okay?"

I nodded distantly. "C'mon. Let's just… let's just go back to the village."

"You've gotta have something to eat," she reminded me.

"I know. I will. I'm just… I'm not that hungry right now." In truth, I had lost my appetite.

"All right…" she relented. "You look like you need a nap." She stated suddenly. "And I don't blame you. C'mon. You've gotta get ready for your race tonight."

--

_I was swimming laps, back and forth, alternating between free and fly. I wasn't supposed to swim breaststroke- it bothered me too much. And this was just a warm up after all. I just needed to keep my shoulders loose and my stroke easy._

_When I finished the set I had been working on, I climbed out of the pool and up onto the block to do a couple hundreds from a start._

_I leaned down and grasped the block, before pushing off._

_I swam the hundred fast, but not race pace. I needed to save energy. I needed to relax._

_I finished the hundred quickly, climbed out, and took a drink of water before climbing back up for my next hundred._

_Just like the preceding one, I leaned down and grasped the block, pausing for a second before-_

_Pain erupted in the back of my knee, and I crumbled forward, falling into the water with a splash. I managed to swim to the surface and find the lane line, ignoring the violent stabs of pain in my knee. _

_I heard another splash. Almost half a second after the sound reached my ears, I felt two hands close around my neck, and drag me down under the water._

_I fought, clawing at the hands that held me down. I managed to get free, and swam hastily to the surface, gulping down a great lungful of air._

_I heard _his_ horrifying laugh and I was forced back down, what was he doing this for?_

_I clawed at his hands, now on my shoulders, and lashed out at him, trying to kick him in his legs or maybe even his stomach. The pool was deep- I knew that much. You couldn't stand on the bottom. He had to be treading water. I had to be able to make some contact with him, to harm him somehow...._

_I was able to get free once more, and pulled myself to the surface, gasping for air. I felt those hands pull me down once more, and I thought I heard his voice saying, "You'll die here, now. At last!"_

_I made the mistake of opening my mouth under water, and ended up choking on a mouthful of water. I gagged, and coughed, but there was no oxygen, only water. I couldn't get free.... _

_I was being drowned in the one place I'd always felt safest. He'd managed to take the one thing I'd loved the most and turn it against me. He'd used the water to kill me, instead of taking a knife and stabbing me or slitting my throat as he had tried to do in the past._

--

I bolted upright, breathing hard, shaking.

I tried to catch my breath. It was only a nightmare… it wasn't real… I was okay. Aro wasn't here. He was in prison, awaiting trial. Not here in London. He couldn't do anything to me when there was more than two thousand miles of ocean separating the two countries, not to mention the thousands of miles of land separating California from the east coast.

At least… that's what I told myself.

I laid back down. For a nightmare, that had been… brutal. Even though I knew Aro couldn't do anything to me here, I still had nightmares. And some were much more… _violent_ then others. But drowning me… in the one place I'd always felt most comfortable, most like myself… that was hitting below the belt.

That one, especially.

It had been vivid, like I was actually living it. I had been swimming… I couldn't remember what had happened, but suddenly Aro had been there, forcing me down under the water. I'd heard him say something, but I couldn't figure out what it had been.

I had been able to struggle against him, get up to the surface for air once or twice, but in the end, he had prevailed once more.

I knew he would stop at nothing to kill me, and even spending God knows how long in prison probably wouldn't be able to change that. But the nightmares… they made everything I was able to forget during consciousness seem so much more… concrete than what I made it out to be.

I heard my watch beep two times before going silent.

I had another two and a half hours until warm ups started, and about an hour and a half before I had to leave.

I really wasn't hungry. But I managed to drag myself out of bed and get something to eat. I was going to have to keep my energy up to get through my race.

By four o' clock, I had my bag packed up and ready to go, my suit and sweats on, and my Gatorade bottle full. I wasn't nervous for this race as I had been for the one this morning. In fact… I was actually ready for it. It was one race, and as long as I swam it strongly, I would be in the finals tomorrow night.

I knew I could swim the two hundred in under one fifty. After the race this morning, I hadn't even been breathing hard. I was rested, and I knew I could go a one fifty if I just pushed myself a little bit harder.

I could do it.

Bella and I took the shuttle to the pool, hardly saying anything during the ride there. I wasn't paying attention to the other people sitting on the bus talking to one another, but I wasn't completely zoned out either. I was just focused. I knew what I needed to do. And I was going to do it.

I warmed up, changed into my team suit, and was completely relaxed as I waited in the ready room with the other swimmers. I knew how to swim this race. I wasn't going to screw this up. I had this.

I listened to the lecture Eddie gave us. The semis for the two hundred breaststroke were up first, so I had a good five, six, maybe seven more minutes before I had to head out on deck. I could relax for a little bit longer.

Those few minutes passed somewhat quickly. I barely heard Eddie murmur of encouragement as Bella and I walked out on to the deck with the other seven swimmers.

I was in lane two, way on the outside. It definitely wasn't a lane I wanted to be in, even if it was a semi. I always preferred to be more towards the center of the pool. I would have to deal with the wakes of three other swimmers if I didn't get ahead quickly. Possibly even four if I started out way too slow.

I pulled my sweats off and left them on the chair behind the lane and snapped on my cap. I pulled my goggles down over that and my second cap. I adjusted my goggles for a moment, shook my shoulders out.

I was good to go, completely ready for this. I just had to do this right.

I heard the official blow the whistle, an I climbed up on the blocks, leaning forward, arms hanging down ready to grab the edge of the block.

"Men's two hundred meter individual medley. Swimmers, take your marks."

_Beep_.

I shot off, in a perfect streamline, and hit the water perfectly. I couldn't have asked for a better start.

I did my usual six dolphin kicks, before coming up and starting my stroke. Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve… I continued counting down each stroke in my head.

I took a short quick breath after my ninth stroke, sticking my head back in the water as soon as I had gotten enough oxygen. I wasn't wasting time on this.

"_You'll die here, now. At last!"_

I gasped, underwater, choking as the water flooded my mouth. I brought my head back up to the surface and inhaled, coughing again when my head was back in the water.

What the hell had that been?

I didn't have time to ponder for long. I touched the wall and shot off, not bothering to kick underwater before coming up and starting my backstroke.

I was still gasping, my lungs dying for air. it was that national meet all over again. I had to do this though.

I thought about those words, still counting down my stroke.

Then I remembered where I'd heard them before.

Aro had said them, in my dream. He wanted me dead.

But he wasn't here. I was safe. He hadn't made me start choking on water. Just his voice, from my nightmare.

But it had sounded like he was right there….

I touched the wall, and turned, doing a fast underwater pullout before coming back up gulping the air before shoving me face back in the water for another stroke.

"_You'll die here, now. At last!" _ it kept playing over and over again in my head. I couldn't focus, and I was going slowly, I knew it.

The whole fifty was like that- me trying to shake that horrible voice out of my head, and it kept on coming back. I tried to put speed to my stroke, not even caring about my knee, until it twinged sharply n protest. Then I slacked off.

Finally- _finally_- I hit the wall on the other side, turned, and desperately tried to make up the ground I had lost. The voice was still playing over again and again in my head. I couldn't shake it. But I could at least try to make up all that speed I had gone and lost.

I hit the wall on the other side, pulled my caps and goggles off, and just leaned against it for a minute, trying to catch my breath. I felt exhausted, like I had just ran a marathon instead of swimming a two hundred that normally wouldn't even had tired me out.

I climbed out of the pool when I heard the other swimmers doing so, and felt as Bella took my hand and handed me my towel.

I grabbed my sweats off the chair and walked back with Bella to the ready room. I knew I had a verbal beating coming form Eddie. That had been one of the worst races I had ever swum in my life. I just knew it. I didn't need a time to tell me that. I hadn't swum it the way I wanted to swim it, and if I even made finals tomorrow night, I wouldn't be in a decent lane.

"Edward…" Bella asked after a moment. "What happened? Your fly looked so strong until… about four or five strokes form the wall…." She paused for a moment. "I mean, your time wasn't horrendous but you didn't beat your time from this morning."

"Cullen!"

"Great," I muttered.

"What happened out there?" Eddie demanded.

"I choked." That wasn't a lie. I _did_ choke on water.

"Cullen, I've seen you swim in practice, and I've seen you swim that race five times now in competition. You wouldn't screw up a race like that. You wouldn't… your stroke was slow. Much too slow for a semi. I would've expected you to swim maybe like that for the prelim, and save what you did in the prelim for now."

"I didn't do it purposely," I protested. "I just didn't get my head far enough out of the water. I inhaled too soon, and choked on water."

"I assumed as much," Eddie muttered. "I don't expect that to happen again tomorrow night."

I made finals? "What?" I asked.

"Tomorrow night at finals. I don't expect that to happen again."

I made finals! "It won't." I promised.

"It better not. Go warm down. Get in at least a good mile and a half or so, and get some sleep tonight."

I nodded, and listened as he went over my splits before letting me go. I had gone a one fifty two, more than a second and a half off my time form this morning. I had only barely made finals, by about a tenth of a second. And I was the last seeded swimmer after that race.

I had one last chance, at this meet anyway, to break one fifty. I knew I could do it. I just knew it. I wanted it so badly. I just needed to do it.

I could do it.

--

The prelims for the hundred free went off at ten thirty.

Warm ups started at eight thirty.

That left me a good hour, maybe an hour and a half, to get ready for my race.

I wasn't much of a freestyler- not at heart anyway. I couldn't just get in the water and swim this race the way I wanted to like I could with fly. I needed mental preparation and decent visualization to know exactly how to swim this. Yeah, in an open meet, I could probably get by without doing that, but my time wouldn't be as fast as it could be if I did visualize.

I needed to stay relaxed, and not go too fast though. I had finals tonight for my two hundred, and if I did anything to screw that race up again, I know I'd never be able to get over it.

I barely listened to what Eddie was saying. The only parts I really heard were about negative splitting and not killing myself. I knew the drill.

Bella and I walked out behind the blocks. I was in lane six. Once more to the outside of the faster swimmers, but I could live with that. It was only a prelim.

I laid my sweats on the chair, and pulled on my caps and goggles.

I listened as the starting official announced the heat, and climbed up on the block when the whistle was blown.

"Swimmers, take your marks."

I gripped the edge of the block loosely, but I had a storng enough grip that I could push off strongly.

_Beep_.

I shoved off, hitting the water just the way I wanted to. I did six underwater dolphin kicks before starting normal freestyle kick and breaking out in my stroke.

I needed to take the race easy, but still swim with _some_ speed. Twenty five strokes from one wall to the other, as long as I swam it right. I could breathe once this fifty, and twice the other, and probably tie my time at the speed I was going.

And as long as other swimmers didn't beat my time, I'd be in the semis tomorrow night.

I took that one breath five strokes before the wall, finished those five strokes, flipped, and hit the wall perfectly.

I shoved off, and started the second fifty the same as the first. The only difference was I picked up on my speed just a little bit, adding more power to each stroke and kicking with just a little bit more vigor.

i didn't need to tone it down in the last few meters. I wasn't tired, I wasn't breathing hard, and I had barely begun to tap into my energy. While this race needed mental preparation so I knew what the hell I was going to do, once I started swimming it, it wasn't exactly the hardest race ever.

I hit the wall just right, at the end of my stroke, but I didn't glide into the wall.

I pulled my caps and goggles off, leaned against the wall for a moment to rest, and climbed out as soon as I heard the other swimmers doing so.

Bella took my hand and gave me my towel. I grabbed my sweats off the chair and headed back to talk to Eddie.

"That was the best freestyle race I've ever seen you swim, no doubt about it," Bella said after a moment.

"Honestly?" I asked.

"Yeah. If your I.M. yesterday morning hadn't been so amazing, then that would have been the best race you've swam yet."

"My I.M. still tops that?"

"Yeah, it does. That was the most flawless race I've ever seen. Like I said, it was practically perfect."

I nodded. "You know, if it weren't for you and Coach, I wouldn't be here." I may not be swimming as fast as I was now, my technique and physical abilities probably wouldn't be as good as they were now…. There were a lot of things that would be different if I hadn't given in to her.

"Your coach came up with the sets-."

"Oh I know. But I mean, if you hadn't convinced me to do it, I know I wouldn't be here right now, swimming the fastest I ever have in my life."

"I can't- Edward, I didn't-."

"You had everything to do with that. if you hadn't tried so hard to convince me to do it, I never would've thought I could. It's because of you that I'm here, your faith in me, and your not giving up on me."

"Why would I have given up on you?" she asked, surprised. "I _knew_ you could do it. You just needed to believe that."

"So many years of people not believing I could do much better than being a blind swimmer who wouldn't do much puts those ideas in your head. I could try as hard as I wanted, but nobody really believed in me like you did. Or they would, but then, like after the oh-eight trials, they just give up. Even after I hurt my knee, you didn't give up on me."

"And I never will. You, just like every athlete at these Games, deserve to be here. You've worked so long hard at something you love, and now you're finally getting recognized for the dedication you put into it. I could never give up on somebody who tries so hard to do what they want."

"Thank you Bella," I said. "For everything you've ever done."

"No problem. It was my pleasure, as it always will be."

Barely a minute later, I was talking to Eddie about my race. He gave me splits, pointer on what I should do tomorrow night in semis (I placed third), and told me to go catch some sleep. Thankfully, he didn't remind me about my horrible race last night. I could still recall quiet clearly that voice in my head that made me loose concentration.

After drug testing and warm down, Bella and I were taking the shuttle back to the village.

--

Why does time always move so slowly before you anticipate something, and so quickly when you're dreading something?

The time in between warm ups and the first race of the night couldn't have passed much slower than it did.

Every minute seemed like an hour. Each piece of classical music on my iPod seemed to last much longer than it should have. Occasionally, Bella and I would talk. I knew she was trying to get my mind off my race. And it worked to a degree. Every time she talked I forgot my nerves for a moment. But just for a moment.

I heard someone sit down in the chair next to mine.

"Cullen," I heard my teammate, Eric Shanteau, say.

"What's up, Shanteau?"

"Nothing much."

"You're swimming the semis for the two hundred right?" Eric was a breaststroker. In oh-eight he had placed tenth in the two hundred semis in Beijing.

"Yeah. This time, Kitajima won't know what hit him." Kitajima was the fastest breaststroker in the world. But Eric was an incredible swimmer. I had a feeling he could beat Kitajima if he tried hard enough.

"You'll beat him, don't worry." I said.

"Least I can do is try. You're going to kick ass in that I.M." he said confidently.

"I'm gonna try to, anyway."

"That race last night may not have been the best I.M. you've ever swam, but, Cullen, you own at that event. For whatever reason you screwed up for last night, don't let it bother you now. We can't learn if we don't make mistakes. You've just gotta try your hardest. Cullen, I've seen you swim in practice. If you can swim a two hundred the way you do during practice, then you can definitely swim a two hundred under your current time."

"I wouldn't call what happened last night a mistake. More like one of my biggest screw ups in seven and a half months." He had a point though. If we don't make mistakes we can't learn. I definitely learned not to loose focus, no matter what happens. "And I don't go that fast in practice."

"It wasn't that bad. Everyone messes up form time to time. And believe me, even your race last night wasn't that bad. You went out way too strong in the fly, I'll give you that, and I bet you swam the prelim way to fast. I know you're excellent at the four hundred, but still, you can only do so much at a certain pace." He said wisely.

He had a point. I could swim the four hundred in world record time, but both races, plus that nightmare, and me inhaling water during my race, did take a certain toll on your body. "I went a one fifty one in that prelim."

"Holy crap! I knew your time was fast, but you went a one fifty one in a _prelim_? Are you insane?"

"I didn't plan to go that fast! All I do before a race is figure out how I'm gonna use of my energy and what I'm gonna do on each leg of the race, like how strong I'm gonna take it out. Then I just swim it. You're right though, I did go out too fast in the fly. Plus the water I inhaled, I just didn't have it in me."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Cullen. It was one race. At least you made finials."

"Even if I did final last."

"Finals are finals. Just swim as fast as you can," he said. "Trust me man. You don't need to medal to make a point. You just have to show them what you're made of and that you're _not_ giving up."

"Like oh-eight," I said, thinking back to those Paralympic trials, and remembering what Eric had also gone through in oh-eight.

"It sucked that I had cancer, but I refused to let it stop me from swimming. I still swam, and yeah, I didn't make finals, but I didn't let the cancer stop me from doing something I love so much. Just like you, man. Yeah, you have a disability, but you're still one of the fastest swimmers in the world, and probably one of the most driven people I've ever met. I mean, you're here right? You've done what no one thought was capable of somebody with a disability. And you, just like every other swimmer here, have worked your butt off to do this."

I nodded. "You did too, Shanteau. Back in oh-eight, you didn't let the cancer stop you from competing."

"It's almost the same for you though, is it not? You're at a disadvantage, sure, 'cause you can't see the walls, but like I said, you're one of the fastest swimmers in the world. Some people may think that you can't be as fast as the other swimmers just because of that, but obviously they've never seen you swim."

"I always hate it when people do that. They can doubt my abilities all they want, as long it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm blind. _That_ doesn't bother me. But when the only reason they doubt me is because I'm blind, that really just irks me."

"People are like that. They won't think someone's capable enough just because of something that's challenging them."

"I'm pretty sure I'm capable of swimming in an international meet like this. The only difference between this and the Paralympics are that there aren't classifications for swimmers and I'm the only person with a visual impairment here. Aside from that, they're practically the same thing. They're both the largest international meets, with the top fastest swimmers from each country."

"You're right, Cullen. You are completely capable of swimming at a meet like this, no matter what people say."

"You ready boys?" I heard Eddie ask.

"Good luck, Shanteau."

"Same to you Cullen. Kick ass out there."

"Will do," I grinned just a little bit. Eric knew what he was talking about. He'd been doubted back in oh-eight because he was sick, but he'd done incredible in his two hundred breaststroke all the same.

I thought about what he'd said for a moment. There were a lot of people out there who doubted my abilities, just because I'm blind. But what about all those people who had been doubted because of disabilities? Sure, for all I knew, there could be millions of people doubting me right now. But all it takes is one person who believes in you for you to do well and go above your expectations. Bella had taught me that.

Tonight, I was going to prove all those people who doubted me wrong. Hell, I was going to prove anyone who'd ever doubted another person wrong. If you believe you can do something enough, anything is possible.

"Gather round, boys," I heard Eddie say. "First event goes off in a couple of minutes, and I wanna talk to you."

I took Bella's hand and walked with her to where the others were standing.

"Listen up. Right now, it doesn't matter how old you are, or how fast you are. It doesn't matter if you're blind," I could feel the pointed stares directed at me. Yeah, way to single me out, Eddie. "Or if you used to have cancer," I assumed their gazes shifted to Eric. "All that matters is that you made it _here_. You all didn't give up, or let something stop you from doing something you all wanted so badly. You want this and you all are willing to kick ass to get it. I want you boys to go out there and prove America is the fastest. That we _are_ the best. That our swimmers _never_ give up on something they want so badly and work so hard for.

"But above all else, I want you boys to have fun. You've made it this far, and years of hard work and preparations have gotten you ready for these races. Winning a medal or setting a world record is one thing, but having fun while you do it is a completely different thing entirely. You guys are here because of the dedication you've poured into this sport, and each and every last one of you deserve to be here. _Never_ doubt that. now go out there and show every other person out there watching why you deserve to be here. But relax and have fun with it too. This is your sport. Your forte. Just do what you know you've gotta do. Got it?"

A couple guys mumbled a response.

I just nodded.

"Eric, don't forget to glide longer on each stroke. This is a two hundred, not a one hundred. You really need to work those glides to save your energy. Same goes for you Jordan. Edward, don't kill yourself on the breaststroke. You take that lap about eighty percent, no more, no less, and sprint the rest. Joshua, if you go out too strong in the beginning of your fifteen hundred you're gonna want to commit suicide by the end. Keep your pace steady and after the first thousand kick it up a notch to the point where you're giving the last two hundred all you've got. Michael, you know how to swim that two hundred. Make sure you don't do anything rash unless you know exactly what you're doing. You hear me boys?"

Again, there was a scattered mumbling. Once more, I nodded.

"Good luck then."

This was it. All of us were swimming in our first finial (or in Eric and Jordan's case, first semi final) of the Olympic Games.

Now I just had to make sure I didn't screw up.

The semis for the two hundred breaststroke were up first, so I still had _some_ time to get ready. Definitely not as much as I wanted, but some time was better than none.

And that limited time I had just _had_ to go by quickly.

Before I knew it, Bella and I were walking to the blocks. If I thought I had been nervous before the prelim, that was nothing compared to how I felt now. I had no clue how the hell I was going to swim this race. From last night, my time was the slowest in the field. I knew my strategy, sure, but I wasn't even remotely sure I could swim it fast.

Just like before, I laid my sweats on the chair behind my lane, and pulled my caps and goggles on. I tried to relax a little bit, taking slower, more even breaths. I shook out my shoulders, trying not to tense up too much.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the official blew the whistle and announced the event before blowing the whistle again.

I climbed up on the block, and gripped the edge when we were told to take our marks.

This was it.

_Beep_.

I shoved off hard, and hit the water in a perfect dive. I held on to the momentum for a fraction of a second, then started my dolphin kicks.

I kept my kick strong when I added my stroke. _Take it out fastest in the fly_.

_One breath the whole fifty_.

I kept my hard pace up, pushing just a little harder the last half than the first. I put more power into each stroke, and kicked hard. I didn't even bother to take that one breath. I could breathe all I wanted during backstroke and breaststroke.

I hit the wall squarely at fifteen strokes, turned as fast as I could, and shot off the wall. The dolphin kicks on my back didn't hurt as the once had, but I wasn't going to push it. Not now.

I started my backstroke pull, keeping my breathing even. I kicked ferociously, putting as much as I could into the one stroke I hated most. The breaststroke lap was going to slow me down enough. I might as well put that speed I used to save for breaststroke and put it into backstroke.

Those last five strokes of the lap, I kicked even harder, pushing myself just a little bit more than I had in fly. Not too much. I was going to need energy for my freestyle too, but I put just enough into it that my backstroke was the strongest it'd ever been.

I touched the wall, dead on my stroke count, turned hard, and got the hell off the wall as fast as I could. Only a hundred meters left.

I put as much force as I could into that one dolphin kick, and completed my underwater pullout as strongly as I dared too. I couldn't push myself too hard. lay off on this lap, and swim my heart out on the next.

Each stroke, each kick, made me worry about my knee, and what I was probably doing to it. But I had to finish this race, I had to beat one fifty.

I pushed myself as much as I could. I knew my limits (sort of) and, especially on breaststroke, I knew exactly when to push them.

Not till the last few strokes.

And that's exactly what I did. I kept building up my pace until I was flat out sprinting the last three strokes. My kicks were even, no one more powerful than the other, but my arm strokes had as much power to them as I could put.

I touched the wall, turned even faster than I had at the last one, and shot off, kicking four times underwater before starting an all-out freestyle sprint. My turnover rates were the fastest I'd ever been able to make them, and my kick was stronger than I'd ever thought I'd be able to kick.

I used my determination to my advantage, turning it into speed. I wanted to beat one fifty so badly. The only way to do that was to go faster. I breathed once the whole fifty, about seven stroke from the wall.

I hit the wall, right on my stroke count. I leaned against it, catching my breath for a moment before pulling my caps and goggles off, and dunking my head underwater.

When I resurfaced, I leaned against the wall again, taking it easy for a minute.

The people in the crowd were starting to give me a headache, just as the crowd in Omaha had. Except this was worse. A thousand times worse.

After another minute or so, I heard the other swimmers climbing out. I pulled myself out of the water. Apparently, Bella was right there waiting. I felt her familiar touch as she took my hand.

"Oh, my God." Was all she said.

"What?" I asked. Had I screwed up?

"I-that was just- i-indescribable. I can't even… it was so… ugh. I can't put it in words."

"Wow."

"Yeah. That just about sums it up."

"How did I- what was my… what was my time?" I asked when she handed me my towel and sweats.

"You really wanna know?" she asked, a teasing tone to her voice.

"Um, yeah, I'm pretty sure I do."

She laughed. "A one forty eight point seventeen."

Holy-. Was she frickin serious?

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"That's-."

"Faster than world record? Faster than Michael's time?"

"Yeah," she'd basically summed up what I was going to say. "Wait… faster than Michael's seeded time? Or his time after that race?"

"His time after that race."

"So I…." I couldn't think of how to say it.

"You placed first, and set a world record and an Olympic record." She paused for a moment. "C'mon. You need to go warm down before the medal ceremony."

I walked back under the stands with her. I just couldn't get it in my head that one, I had beaten the greatest swimmer alive in an event he held a world record in for years, and two, that I had actually beaten his world record. That was just… insane to say the least.

I was still in a state of disbelief as I listened to my splits, and did the warm down set Eddie gave me. I was practically in a daze.

I had beaten Michael, set two records, and won first.

That was… more than I'd _ever_… even in my _wildest_ dreams… thought was possible.

When I finished the warm down set, I changed into my dress sweats for the medal ceremony. I _still_ couldn't comprehend how the hell I had done it, but I had.

I walked with Bella, two officials, Michael and the other swimmer to the medal podium. I assumed we stopped behind the podium, while I heard two sets of footsteps continue on. I figured those were the officials.

"it's about a foot and a half tall, can you…?" she whispered.

I nodded. "I got it. Don't worry."

"Okay… are you sure?"

I nodded again.

After another moment or so, she said, "step up."

I complied, and stepped up onto the podium (thankfully, without losing my balance, falling, or doing something else stupid only I could end up doing).

After another moment, I heard the two official's footsteps again. I heard both sets stop right in front of where I was standing. I leaned forward just enough so that they could place the medal around my neck.

As soon as they had placed the medal around my neck, I straightened back up, standing proudly. This was real. My mind really wasn't playing tricks on me. I actually had gone a one forty eight, and (somehow) beaten Michael.

After a few more seconds, I heard them start to play the national anthem. I placed my hand over my heart proudly. I really had done it.

For those two minutes or so the anthem played, I ran through everything that had happened in the past seven and a half months to get me here. I knew I couldn't have done it without Bella. Without everything she had done for me, there was no way I'd be standing on this podium right now, listening as they played the national anthem.

When the anthem ended, I shook hands with both Michael and the swimmer who had placed third. Sportsmanship was a huge part of swimming, and demonstrating good sportsmanship whenever you could, whether you win or lose, is important.

Bella took my hand and helped me step down. we slowly started walking.

"do you still ot believe me when I say you're one of the greatest swimmers in the world?"

"There's more to being a great swimmer than just having fast times," I said, trying to put off from answering her question. "There's your technique and not to mention how you act towards your competition and what you do outside of the pool."

"And you have every one of those qualities. Your technique is incredible; aside from Dimitri, you aren't hostile towards your competition when you're beaten, and outside of the pool you're a great person."

"You are so absurd sometimes."

"I'm just telling you the truth."

"You can't honestly think I'm like that."

"But I do, and you know it yourself. You don't need me to tell you that."

I still thought she was just a little absurd, and she was completely off the mark when she said I knew that too. My technique still needed work. I could show good sportsmanship, sure, towards anyone but Dimitri, and that was only because of what he'd done to me in the past and the way he'd always acted whenever I beat him and tried to be civil. But outside of the pool, my world basically revolved around her and swimming. I didn't do much else.

I fingered the medal that hung around my neck. What I had done- proving that just because I was blind didn't mean that I couldn't swim against other perfectly able swimmers and still do well- would never have happened without her.

"Hold on for a minute, Bella."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I grinned a little bit. "Believe me, nothing is wrong."

"Then… why'd you wanna stop?"

"Because… Bella… you do know that without you, I never would've been able to do this, right? I never would've thought I'd be able to swim the way I'm swimming now. I never would've even thought I could swim the way I am now. And without you… I never would've even made it this far."

"I- Edward…."

I pulled the medal from around my neck, and carefully placed it around hers.

"what's-."

I knew what she was going to ask before she even finished the sentence.

I didn't know how to explain how much gratitude I felt for her, for everything she'd done for me. I couldn't express in words how close I'd come to here in the past seven months. All I could do was state. "For everything you've done."

**Wow. Twenty eight pages. Well… twenty seven pages, one line, one paragraph, and an author's note. Close enough. So, I **_**promise**_** I'm going to try to get the next chapter up soon, but our long course season has started and every weekend I have a meet. I mean like seriously, almost every weekend for the next few months I have a meet. Next weekends sprint meet is only one day, so I'll try to get more written. I may have time during the week to write, and I'll definitely write in school, and probably anywhere else I can. I'm definitely going to try, and if it takes a long time, I'm extremely sorry. Training and writing are the two things I'll be doing most, so If it does take a while, it's because practices and meets are long and brutal.**

**Review, guys!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Oh my god. I am so sorry this chapter took so long. Honestly, I am. But as of now, my life is completely hectic beyond belief. I'm sorry if this chapter isn't one of my bests writing wise, please just understand that I've had a horrible case of writer's block through this whole thing. I'm extremely sorry I made you wait this long, so I won't make you wait a second longer. Here's the next chapter.**

Chapter Thirty Two

"Edward, wake up."

I groaned inwardly. It was too early, and I was still tired. "I don't wanna," I mumbled, and rolled away form the voice.

"C'mon sleepyhead, get outta bed! You've got prelims, remember?"

"Screw prelims."

"Edward, get your lazy butt out of bed. You're not going to be late for prelims. The blame falls on my shoulders, and I don't wanna be at the wrath of your coach."

I rolled back on to my back. "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"Fine. You know, you can be downright cruel sometimes Bella."

"I try. Now go get ready. You're late enough as it is."

I kicked back the covers, and crawled out of bed. Bella handed me my backpack, and I found my way to the bathroom to change into my warm up suit.

Once changed, I made sure I had a dry towel and my LZR. There was no way I was swimming an Olympic prelim in my warm up suit. No matter how much I happened to be dreading it.

I wasn't hungry (damn nerves…), but Bella still made me eat something before we left. Granted, it wasn't as much as I normally eat but something _is_ better than nothing, right?

I was seriously dreading this stupid race. I used to love the four hundred I.M. Now, I considered the race torture. Sure, I'd love to scratch out of it, but there was no way I was going to back down from it. It was just a race after all… a painful one, but a race nonetheless. A race I could swim in my sleep, at that.

With this mentality, I made it through warm ups pretty easily, not doing anything to aggravate my knee, or over work my self, and doing a good job of getting my muscles warmed up for the race ahead. To tell you the truth, that's a pretty nice accomplishment right there; me, not doing anything stupid for once.

I stretched out really well, and changed into my LZR. My race was the last one on the program, and I was swimming the last heat. There had to be at least twelve heats before mine, probably more. It wasn't like I was pressed for time or anything… just nervous. Like stomach churning, palm sweating, no-way-I-can-do-this sort of nervous. Did I mention my relaxed mentality didn't last past the moment I got out of the water?

"Edward, something's wrong." Bella stated suddenly. I must've jumped a mile out of my chair.

"Nothing's wrong," I mumbled.

"You're nervous." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," I admitted. I just couldn't hide anything from her, could I?

"Well don't be," she said softly, taking my hand. "You've swum this race a million times, why should this one be any different?"

I shrugged, refusing to answer.

"You're afraid, aren't you?"

I bit my bottom lip. Damn her.

"Why are you afraid? You don't have to be."

"I don't wanna make my knee hurt more than it already is." In truth it hadn't bothered me during my 200 I.M. but when I woke up this morning it had twinged a little. And I had a really bad feeling about this race.

"I thought you said it wasn't bothering you."

"It wasn't. Not until this morning, anyway."

"Well you don't _have_ to race. No one's gonna force you."

Why'd she have to say that? Yeah, no one was going to force me to do it, but I was going to force myself. I could c\handle it. I just needed to be careful.

Story of my life: be more careful.

"I'll race," I said.

"You sure?" she asked.

"of course I'm sure."

At least, I think I am.

--

I pressed my goggles into my eyes one last time before climbing up onto the starting block. I was probably more nervous than I'd ever been in my life, but I was also certain. I knew I could do this. I just had to get in the water to prove it.

"Take your marks."

I bent down, right foot forward left foot back, just like always, and gripped the edge of the starting block.

_Beep._

I took off as fast as I could, hitting the water in streamline, as I had done thousands of times before. I waited just the right amount of time before I started dolphin kicking, not too early so that it interfered with the momentum I got off the blocks, but not too late as to be of lesser use.

I broke out into my butterfly with ease, letting the motion of my stroke throw my hips into the kick.

Fifteen strokes and I touched the other wall with ease, turn quickly, and pushed off, only to repeat the same thing I had done of the blocks. The only difference was I had to start my underwater kicks a lot sooner than I had had to off the blocks.

My stroke was as easy on this lap as it had been on the previous one. Despite being nervous, my motions were completely relaxed, and my fly felt smooth and easy, not jerky or forced.

I matched my stroke count perfectly, touched, and turned for the hundred backstroke. Despite my deep loathing of backstroke, I couldn't deny that my stroke felt smooth and relaxed, and for once, I couldn't complain. I'd rather be swimming this than breaststroke, anyway. God, I was dreading that hundred.

_Stop thinking about it_, I chastised myself. _Focus on backstroke_.

And for once, I actually listened to myself. I hit my stroke count dead even, rolled over, flipped, and shot off the wall with ease. It was just backstroke after all, I didn't need to start pushing the pace yet, but I kicked it into gear just a little bit. I had no clue if I was ahead or even dead last, but I was going to drop a few seconds off this split before I gained them back in the breaststroke.

Imagine me, actually willing to swim backstroke fast. I used to always slack off this hundred, and bring it back in the breaststroke when others were faltering. Now, it was the other way around, even if it wasn't by choice.

I touched at the other wall, turned and shot off. I pulled my arms down to my sides and did the one legal dolphin kick simultaneously, before I shot my hands forward again, and kicking my legs out in that dreaded whip kick.

Damn, did it hurt.

My knee hadn't hurt like that in a couple of days, so even though I figured it was going to happen, the pain hit me like a tidal wave.

I forced my way through the hundred, gritting my teeth against the pain when I much rather would have stopped on the turn and DQ'd than continue. I could tell I was going slow. I didn't need a stopwatch to tell me that. But I just couldn't make myself go faster. I was in enough agony as it was.

The distance from the turn to the other wall seemed a whole lot longer than fifty meters. When I finally touched the other wall for the breast to free turn, I couldn't have been happier. I did fifteen underwater kicks really quick, and when I started stroking, I may have powered it out a little too much. I toned it down just a touch, but all the same I was still swimming fast.

I flipped hard at the other end, hit the wall squarely, and pushed off. One last lap and I'd be done. Well until tonight anyway.

I touched the other wall even with my stroke count, pulled my caps and goggles off. I didn't realize how hard I was breathing until then. I rubbed my eyes for a moment, then shook hands with the guys in the lanes next to me before climbing out.

"Good job," Bella said when she gave me a towel. "You qualified third."

At least I qualified. The way that race had felt I thought I would've come in dead last. "semis are tomorrow, right?" I asked as we were walking back to the ready room.

"Yeah, so you don't have to worry about until tomorrow."

"I have my hundred fly tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. And the prelims for the four by one hundred relay are tomorrow as well."

I nodded.

I talked to Eddie for a few minutes after drug testing before jumping in the warm up pool for a nice long warm down. I didn't need a lactate test to know how hard I had worked during that race.

After warm down all I wanted was to go back to the Village and sleep for a month.

--

"Does it hurt?" Bella asked softly.

I nodded. Of course, knowing me, I had somehow managed to do something to my knee during warm ups. Just my luck, right?

"You don't have to swim this, you know," I felt her pull the tape a little tighter.

I drew in a sharp breathe at the sudden stab of pain. "Yeah, I know, but I want to."

There was a long pause then, "you're an idiot."

And I thought we had already established this. I shrugged. "Yeah well, it's just a hundred free after all. I think I'll live."

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"But I want to."

"I won't stop you, but I'm going to be wishing I had when your hurting later." She muttered.

"Look at it this way, even if you had tried, I would have completely disregarded it and swam anyway, so it would have been a complete waste of energy."

"I would have scratched you." I felt her pull the tape a little tighter, and then a flare of pain in protest.

"Ow," I grimaced involuntarily.

"Sorry! Too tight?" I nodded, trying hard not to protest any farther.

She loosened it just a little, pressed the tape down so it would stick, and touched my hand lightly. "Get changed into your LZR, all right?"

I nodded once more, and complied. The suit took forever to put on on a good day. There was no telling how long it would take to put on.

And sure enough, it took much longer than I thought it would. By the time I finally had the thing on, there was maybe twenty minutes until my race. At most. That meant I had really maybe twelve minutes to listen to my iPod and relax, three minutes for a lecture from Eddie or Coach, whoever took it upon themselves to do so, and five minutes for whatever the hell else was going on.

Twelve minutes was nowhere near enough. Granted, I wasn't even a fraction as nervous as I had been this morning, and I hadn't really listened to my music then, but even still. I needed downtime before a race so I could just relax and let my body go on autopilot. Over thinking things never works too well, and music is a good way to stop that from happening.

Bella tugged on my hand a little, and I obligingly rose to my feet.

The second I put weight on my leg, there was a stab of pain so sharp and sudden, I staggered a little.

"Ow, dammit, _ow_,"I hissed, and bit down on my bottom lip to shut myself up.

"You okay?" Bella asked, a fretful edge to her voice.

I nodded slightly. I could taste blood, I was biting down on my lip so hard.

"You sure?"

"Yeah… it was just a surprise was all."

"I don't wanna see you go out there and hurt yourself, okay? Be _careful_. I don't wanna see you in tears later. That would just break my heart."

"I can try. And you know I would never do something to hurt you."

"I know, but sometimes things happen to you that I have no control over, and it hurts to see them happen, you know? Just don't make this race one of those times, okay? And don't hurt yourself."

"I can try," I repeated.

"That's all I ask."

We walked out onto the deck with seven other swimmers. I pulled my sweats off behind the block, kicked off my shoes, and pulled on my caps and goggles.

An official blew four short blasts on their whistle, a pause, and then the long on signaling for us to step up. I climbed up on the block, placed one foot forward, one back in a standard track start, and leaned over just enough that my arms hung down, ready to grasp the edge as soon as we were told to.

_Beep_.

I took off, hit the water in an effortless streamline. A hundred is a close to an all out sprint as I'll dare to get, preferring to stay away form the fifty freestyle for its lack of time to make a move, but even still, you had to have the underwater speed and aggressiveness swimming a fifty demanded. But at the same time, you had to know exactly when to strike. Halfway through the second fifty is way too late, but one may argue the wall is too early, you know, that sort of controversy. In all honesty, it just depends what kind of swimmer you are.

I prefer to hang back, charge a few strokes before the wall, do a kick-ass flip-turn, and _go_, and of course, pray to God the whole time that I actually am trying to race somebody down, catch them, and get my hand on the wall first.

So, naturally, that's exactly how I swam my race; swimming, but not necessarily sprinting, until about six strokes to the wall, kicking myself in to gear, flipping hard (yeah, the flip turn bothered my knee a lot…) and rocketing off for the last fifty meters. In all honesty, I thought I planned that race pretty damn well, even if I did go just a little too fast.

I hit the touch pad much harder then intentionally planned (I'll admit, I may have missed my stroke count) but I didn't actually hurt myself (God knows that's the one thing I _don't_ need).

I leaned against the wall for a moment before pulling my caps and goggles off and climbing out. I had a bad feeling I had really over done it, and the pain I had felt in my knee on the turn was going to come back to haunt me later tonight.

But I wasn't regretting that I had swam that race. Yeah, so I'd be in pain later. Big frickin deal. At least I finished it.

Now if only I could swim a four hundred I.M. like that.

"You got second," Bella said, her voice barely audible over the huge roars of the spectators. She draped a towel over my shoulders.

"Better than last," I said with a small smile. Second in an event that was generally considered my worst was pretty damn good by my standards.

"But how's your knee feel?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

"I'll live." I shrugged, it didn't hurt as badly as it had earlier, but I was certain it would later. But now that she mentioned it… it did hurt quite a bit as I walked on it.

"No, seriously, how much does it hurt?"

"It hurts to walk on it," I admitted. "But it felt fine when I was swimming. It flared up on the turn, but I just ignored it and kept on racing."

"You can lean on me if it hurts."

"I'll be okay."

She muttered something under her breath that I didn't catch, but I didn't inquire after it. I figured she was just commenting about how stubborn I can be or something along those lines. Typical Bella.

While I warmed down, my knee started hurting more and more off every turn. I stopped about a three hundred from the end of my warm down, unable to put up with it any longer.

"Your knees bothering you." Bella said. It wasn't a question.

I nodded.

"Hop out," Eddie said. "no point in you finishing if it just puts you in pain."

I nodded again, and climbed out, careful with the amount of weight I placed on my left leg.

"Why don't you go back to the village and ice it?" Eddie suggested. "I'll see you here tomorrow morning ready to swim."

Once more, I nodded. Lying down with a huge bag of ice on my knee sounded pretty good right about now.

--

The next morning passed in a blur, one minute I was warming up, the next I was in the ready room with the other swimmers, trying to relax and focus on the race at hand. Falling asleep with a huge pack of ice on my knee had helped a little, but it was still bothering me. No, bothering wasn't the right word. Not descriptive enough. It was more like… a persistent, impossible to ignore throbbing agony.

Bella had taped it up a little more tightly than usual, but I couldn't complain. The compression made it feel a little better, even if nothing would take away that horrible pain. Granted, I shouldn't expect anything less, considering how swollen it is and exactly how badly I've damaged it.

I somehow managed to kill the last half hour before my race by just sitting there and listening to music. I wasn't super tense, and while I was in pain, it was such a regular occurrence now that I could just block it out to the point where it was little more than an annoying ache.

"Edward," Bella said at last. "You ready?"

"I think so, actually."

"You nervous."

"No," I said, and I could hardly mask the tone of marvel in my voice. I mean, let's face it, my nerves have been acting up lately, and relaxing hasn't been my top priority. But for once, I actually was somewhat relaxed. I'd swam this race close to a thousand times, if not more, in meets and practice. Plus it was a prelim. There were sixteen slots. Sixteen chances to make it in. I tried to make it sound easier than it really was. I needed to stay relaxed. I knew my fly suffered if I didn't chill out and breathe every once in a while.

I stripped down to my swim suit behind the blocks and pulled my caps and goggles on.

When the official blew the whistle the first time, I pressed my goggles into my eyes one last time. After the second, I climbed up on the block.

"Take you mark."

I leaned down in the all too familiar track start, waiting, bracing myself for the starter to go off.

_Beep_.

I shot off the block, almost surprising myself with the speed of which I did so. But I couldn't get distracted. Not now. Not this race.

I dolphin kicked hard and fast, before coming up and breaking out in a strong, easy butterfly. My arms were relaxed on the recovery, but underwater they were powerful, forcing water back, and propelling me forward in perfect timing with my kick.

My stroke count was dead on; I hit the wall at a perfect extension of my arms, turned fast, and pushed off squarely.

Every instinct in my body was telling me to push harder, to go faster, to accelerate more underwater. But my brain was reminding me that this was just a prelim after all. Especially considering I had the four hundred I.M. semi tonight. I just needed to place in the top sixteen.

So, I kept my pace off, slacked off just a little bit the last two strokes, and hit the touch pad with plenty of force to register. All I had to do now is pray my time was good enough.

It wasn't until after I climbed out of the water that I realized my knee hadn't hurt once during that race, even though now, as I started to put weight back on it, it was starting to ache, and stab a little more sharply here and there.

"Edward that was…" Bella paused for a moment. "I think I'm running out of ways to describe your swimming. Have I used phenomenal before?"

I smiled a little. "Nope, I don't think so."

"Well maybe I should have, because that's really the only adjective with a strong enough meaning to describe it."

"Bella you don't have to-"

"But I want to," she stated firmly and simply.

"Did I qualify?" I asked after a moment.

"What do you think?"

"Well I'm _hoping_ I qualified, but I have a really bad feeling I didn't."

"You need to stop doubting yourself. You qualified second."

I smiled a little more.

"You know, you really are good at the hundred fly. And I don't mean that in the same sense as your other events. You're _good_ in the hundred fly."

"Thank you," I said. "But… I don't know, the four hundred I.M. and two hundred fly still seem like the events I should be swimming."

"Ugh only _you_ would be content with swimming the hardest events you could possibly do that _didn't_ a ton of freestyle."

"Of course."

"Go warm down," she pushed my shoulder lightly, playfully, just making me grina little more.

--

I was curled up in bed, Bella lying next to me, trying to fall asleep, but at the same time trying to stay awake. I wanted to keep talking to her, but I know I needed to sleep.

Suddenly, I heard a phone go off. I recognized the ring tone as my own, but I still had to ask, "Is that mine or yours?"

"Yours I think," I felt the mattress shift as Bella got up, returning a moment later. "the number isn't registered in your phone, do you still wanna answer it."

"Yeah sure why not, if it's a stupid service call I can always hang up on 'em,"

"Gee aren't you nice," Bella said, pressing my phone into my palm.

I flipped it open, and pressed it to me ear. "Hello?"

"Edward."

God damn it. I knew that cold voice anywhere.

"What do you want?" I tried to match his tone, but I didn't quiet achieve that level of indifference. What was he doing? Why was he calling me? Wasn't he in prison?

"Why Edward I never knew you felt so strongly. Can't I just talk to you?"

Several comments flashed through my mind at that precise moment. "Go to hell."

I could feel Bella watching me, listening to him.

"why, Edward, we can't have that now can we?"

God I wanted to hang up on him, but at the same time, I wanted to find out what he wanted, and how he was calling me.

"You're in prison."

"I was released on bail until my trial."

What nutcase had decided to release him on bail?! And for what reason? I was pretty sure if you were convicted for certain crimes, you _couldn't_ be released on bail.

"I saw your race the other night," he continued. "I think we both know you didn't deserve that medal…you're not a good enough swimmer for that. oh no, now Dimitri, Dimitri would've won that medal, and in a better fashion. You're just a horrible excuse for an athlete that everyone likes because he's new, because he's disabled…" all I had to do was flip my phone shut and it would hang up on him, but my fingers weren't responding to my brain. I was paralyzed, forced to listen to him. "And I think we both know that what happened before wasn't what you think it is."

I swallowed hard, fighting against the memories.

"And I think everyone knows that you don't belong there with the other Olympians. You're not like them, Edward. Not at all. They're so much better than you.

Why the hell was he telling me this in the first place? To play some sort of mind game? It wouldn't work. I couldn't let it…

"You killed my parents," I finally managed to say.

"I didn't kill your parents. Your mother's stupidity killed them. Your parents were idiots, they didn't deserve to live. Just like you. You shouldn't be here alive if my plans to kill you had gone through properly. I'll kill you one day Edward Cullen, I swear to that. One day you will die, and it'll be one day soon." Bella finally yanked the phone from my grasp. I heard the phone snap shut.

"I thought you said you'd hang up on somebody if you didn't want to deal with them! What happened to that plan?"

"I… I don't know. At first I wanted to know why the hell he was calling me. Then it was just like… I couldn't hang up as much as I wanted to."

"Oh Edward," she murmured. "I heard parts of it, and the ending of course. That was awful."

I nodded weakly, the last part of his rant stuck in my head.

How could he kill me if he was in jail? But if he was telling the truth and some dumbass had let him out of jail, could he leave the country, come and hunt me down, and kill me here before the Olympics were even over? God above, I hope not.

But if he had been trying to scare me- or just freak me out with his absolute phsychotic-ness, or create doubt- he'd achieved it. I was frightened, not of him, really, but of what he could do. He'd already tried to kill me two, three, maybe four times. I highly doubted I'd be able to escape with my life another.

His call made taking a desperately needed nap even harder than it had been earlier. I just couldn't get what he had said out of my mind, and it kept me awake. The one or two times I dozed off, I had nightmares of what had happened just a few weeks ago. Had it really only been a few weeks? It seemed like months, years, ages, eons, eternity.

Bella didn't fall asleep either. I think she was more concerned about me, and how I would react emotionally to Aro's call then getting any sleep. She rubbed her hand up and down my arm, trying to console me, and I appreciated the gesture even if it didn't help much. She was trying, and that's what mattered.

And, try as I might, I just couldn't stop thinking about what he had said. I didn't want to die. I liked my life, thank you very much.

And I had worked as hard as every other athlete here to become a champion like them. Or so I thought I had. I loved swimming, and had poured my heart and soul into it so become the best that I could be. I'd trained just as hard as the other swimmers, and maybe even harder, to become what I am now.

But did I really deserve it like they did? Had I earned the right to be here through hard work, determination, and sheer love of the sport? While I may have believed I had, did other people see it that way?

Or did they see me as some kid who didn't know what the hell he was doing, who, while admittedly could swim pretty well, wasn't like the others and therefore should go back where he came from?

--

We got to the pool on time. I warmed up in a sort of halfhearted way. My body was going through the motions, and I was warming up the way I should be, but my mind wasn't really there.

Bella taped my knee up after warm ups, and I changed into my suit somewhat dazedly. My mind wasn't here, focused on my race ahead like it should be. it was two thousand miles away, wondering what Aro could do to me.

A sharp stab of pain brought me back though. I had tried to put too much weight on my left leg, and my knee was protesting ferociously. I gently eased the weight back onto my right leg.

I refocused my thoughts to the race at hand, trying to block the doubt from creeping back into my head with a perfect race plan.

Sitting there in the ready room, I couldn't stop doubts from running across my mind. What if I really didn't belong here? What if everything I was trying to do was all for nothing? I just wanted to prove myself to others, and show that I could do things despite a disability.

Not to mention, the race I had to swim in less than twenty minutes was the one race I needed a strong mind to swim. With my head all cluttered up with doubt, how was I going to do this right?

And of course, the threats. Too many times before, I've had some form of a panic attack in the middle of a race, and more times than not it was this event that I had them during. What if one was to occur tonight?

And then there was the question of my knee. I knew constantly swimming wasn't doing it any good, and I dread even the word breaststroke now.

But I couldn't give up, I couldn't give in… I couldn't let all my personal demons stop me from doing something I love. That wasn't in my nature. It never had been, and it never would be. I'd never given up in the past, so why now?

Because I'm pretty sure I hadn't been threatened with my life only five hours beforehand. And if I had… well I hadn't let it get to me then, so why now?

In all honesty I didn't know, but I didn't know one thing.

"Bella," I said suddenly. "I don't think I can do this."

**Don't kill me! I know I know, six months is a looong time, and I'm sorry! But writer's block is horrible. I'm praying I'm over that now, and if it does take (god forbid) another six months to get the next chapter up, don't desert me! I'm trying! Not to mention that high school is completely evil, and teachers don't know when to not assign homework. **

**Ok, so did you like it? A little evil? Yeah, well, I gotta stay entertained somehow. –runs and hides- so I brought Aro back into the story… -runs and hides- if I hadn't this chapter would have taken even loner. I needed something to add to it. i'm aware this was a very short chapter. i kinda hope the next two, and the preceding ones will make up for it. agreed?  
**

**One small note- about the suit controversy thing, FINA has ruled that LZR Racers can no longer be used in competition. But I began this story long before FINA came to that ruling. To save time, and the hassle of doing so, not to mention confusion, I'm not going to go back and change things. Yes, that'll make it technically incorrect, but when I get the sequel posted I can assure you it will coincide with FINA's new rules. While that may still seem a little confusing, I'm sorry. **

**Review! I miss you guys!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Y'all have every right to hate me. How could I just disappear for over two years like that? It's a long story that involves a lot of swimming and high school and work that you don't want to hear. Just enjoy the rest of this fic. This is the first of the last three chapters.**

Chapter Thirty Three

"What do you mean?" Bella asked, unable to hide the shocked tone from her voice.

"I just… I can't."

"But Edward! What do you mean?" Bella asked. "What's wrong? Is your knee bothering you?"

I shrugged. It was but that wasn't the only thing.

"Edward, you're not scared are you?"

Bingo.

I didn't answer. I figured my silence would be enough. I was right.

Next thing I knew, she had her arms around me in a bone crushing hug. "Oh Edward," she whispered softly. "Why are you scared?"

Of course, she already knew the answer, but I told her anyway. "I'm scared of Aro. And of hurting myself even more. And of this stupid race in general." I didn't know why I was telling her this- me, who would open up about things I'd come to accept, but not simpler things, like being _afraid_- and here I was telling Bella, everything that was making me feel scared.

What had this girl done to me?

Well, that was an easy question to answer. I'd fallen for her, I trusted her, I loved her as much, maybe even more than swimming. I didn't always show it, but God, did I love her. Was that why I found it so easy to admit to her now that I was scared?

Maybe. Most likely. Yes.

Her arms just tightened even more so. "Are you sure you want to swim then?"

Did she even have to ask?

"Of course!" am I not allowed to vocally doubt myself, and then be expected to swim? Even in my head it did sound a little odd.

She loosened her death grip a little. "Tell me the truth. How badly does your knee hurt?"

I bit my bottom lip. "A lot." I actually answered honestly. I just couldn't lie to her. I couldn't keep things from her anymore. I needed her too much for that.

"Why are you afraid of Aro?"

She should have known that one. "Because of the phone call earlier."

"Forget the phone call earlier. Focus on this race, right here, right now. Aro can go screw himself for all I care! Right now, all that matters in that you get yourself through this race, and not drown in the process! I've seen what happens when he gets inside your head, and you can't let him, Edward, you just can't!"

I nodded. "I know."

"Then don't let it happen tonight," there was a fury in her voice, but not directed to me. He was meant for Aro and Dimitri alone, and I was certain if either one was here they wouldn't walk out of here with all their limbs firmly attached. "You're too good to let stupid things like that bother you! Please, Edward, I'm begging you, don't let them get to you tonight. You're an incredibly good four hundred I. when you're not stressed out or hurting."

"But I am hurting," I mumbled.

"I know, but I can't do much about that. I'm sorry."

"S'not your fault."

"No, but I hate seeing you in pain."

"I'll live."

"You sure?"

I nodded. "It ain't hurting enough to kill me yet."

"Just don't… don't over do it, ok? Please Edward. Don't."

"I won't."

"Promise?" she asked.

"Promise."

"You're certain you wanna swim this?"

I shrugged. "Yeah."

"That didn't sound certain."

I grinned just a little. "I'm sure Bella. Don't be so…I suppose cynical would be the word I want."

I heard her give a small laugh. It sounded just a little strained. After that, she was quiet for a few minutes. I used to silence to allow my thoughts to wander- over everything that didn't evolve Aro, Dimitri, or hurting myself- and my body to relax. I could do this. I had to. I'd be okay. I couldn't put up with admitting I wouldn't be. It wasn't in my nature to give up, to admit defeat. It never was, and it probably never would be.

"c'mon, Edward," I heard Bella say, taking my hand.

My knee protested viciously as I put weight on it, but I did my best to ignore it.

"You ready?"

I nodded.

"Good luck," she whispered, so quietly I barely heard it.

I nodded my head just slightly to acknowledge her words, and then we were walking out from under the stands, behind the blocks, and I was pulling my sweats off and my caps and goggles on.

The whistle blew, and I climbed up on the blocks, one foot forward the other back, arms hanging down, waiting for the call to take our marks.

When it came, I bent over the last couple of inches, and gripped the edge of the block, waiting for the starter to go off.

When it did, I shot off the block, flying through the air before hitting the water in a tight streamline. I glided for about a second, before starting my dolphin kicks, trying to bring as much momentum from my start through the kicks to generate more power.

I broke the surface after thirteen kicks. I forced my hands to shove as much water backwards as they could underwater, but allowed my recovery to be smooth and easy. I needed to go fast, yes, but I just needed to place top sixteen. As long as my knee didn't screw anything up, and I went out a lot faster than I normally did in the fly and back, I should be able to do that.

I hit the wall right on my stroke count, my arms at a perfect extension. I turned fast, and managed twelve before I had to come up for air.

I tired to keep my strokes long and even, but still strong and powerful. I had to get the first two hundred out fast to make up for any lost ground in the breaststroke. Going fast in fly? Not that hard. Going fast in backstroke? Just kill me now.

I hit the other wall in a similar fashion to the previous one, turned, and started my dolphin kicks on my back.

I got fourteen in before my face broke the surface and I started the backstroke leg. I could feel my shoulder brush the lane line on every other pull, but I didn't exactly have time to waste trying to get away from it. Just as long as I didn't get closer, my shoulder would be fine, and I shouldn't be in any danger of being disqualified.

By the time I flipped at the fifty mark, my legs were burning from kicking so hard, and my knee protested when I shoved off the wall. I bit my lip, though, and pushed harder through the pain.

I tried to rely more on my arms the second fifty, but halfway through they started feeling a lot sorer than they should have. I still had another two hundred to go. I couldn't feel tired yet.

I touched at the other wall, turned, did that one dolphin kick, and braced myself for torture.

Sure enough, every time I kicked, I could feel a sharp stab of pain in my knee. A couple were extremely painful, but like with the backstroke, I bit down on my bottom lip and kept swimming.

In truth, I was probably swimming harder than I needed to for a prelim. A lot harder. If I wanted to, I could slow this hundred down more than my knee forced me to, and finish the freestyle strongly.

But that would require me to swim breaststroke slowly… which probably means I'd be suffering longer. I could shut it down in the freestyle though, and coast more the last twenty five than I usually do.

I knew one thing though; I was going to hurt tonight one way or the other.

I used my arms more than my legs. It was like I was forcing myself to kick, but the power wasn't really there. Towards my last couple of strokes, I started gliding just a little bit more, reaching out with my fingers for the wall until, right when I matched my count, my hands d I turned as fast as I could, pushing off hard and starting my underwater pullout.

The whole second fifty, I couldn't ignore the pain in my knee. Biting my lip wasn't helping anymore (not that it really had in the first place…) and the pain was growing worse the harder I pushed. I could slack up on my kick a little more, but my arms were already fatigued from fly and back. Surely making them pull nearly my whole weight through the water when they were used to the aid of my kick would leave me even more fatigued.

The last few strokes nearly made my eyes water they hurt so bad. My arms had gone numb, and the only thing I could really feel was the pain. When I finally touched the wall, it was such a relief to turn and start swimming freestyle. Just one one hundred left and I could warm down and pass out.

With every stroke, I could feel just how tired my arms were. My shoulders ached like I had just done an extremely hard workout, not swam a three hundred. my thighs still burned from backstroke and the freestyle brought that pain back in full force. Not to mention how badly my knee was hurting.

How the hell I made it through that fifty to the wall I don't know. Sheer determination or willpower or something like that. All I really know is that fifty hurt. Everywhere.

Not like the last fifty was any better, but I suppose it was more bearable than the first. I was almost done. The faster I got my hand on the other wall the better.

Finally I touched the wall. I leaned against it a moment, gasping for breath, before I pulled my caps and goggles off. Damn, I was tired. I couldn't think of a single warm down set that would get all the lactic acid out of my muscles. I didn't need a lactate test to tell me what I already knew. I hurt, and my lactate was probably through the roof.

When I heard the other swimmers climbing out, I pulled myself out of the water. My knee protested enough to make me grimace when I put weight on it, but I sucked it up and dealt with it. I felt Bella press my towel into my hand.

"What the hell was that?" she asked. She didn't sound made or anything just… surprised.

"A four hundred I.M.? Why, what happened?"

"Nothing bad. Don't get that look on your face! Sheesh relax. You broke your record by almost a second. In prelims."

A second? Damn… and in prelims no less. Normally you wouldn't break a record until semis or finals. Most swimmers saved their strengths for the more important swims. Maybe I hadn't swum that race too smartly.

"God I'm tired."

"You should be," Bella said gently. "That was an awesome swim, by the way. Your fly was amazing to watch. I swear every time you swim it just gets better and better and… even more incredible to watch."

"Thank you, Bella."

"I'm just telling you the truth. The breaststroke though… that was horrible." Bella said lightly. She wasn't trying to be mean; she was just saying it like it was.

"Ugh don't remind me. I think that was one of the worst one hundreds I've ever swam in my life."

"And you still set a world record."

"I took my fly out a lot faster than normal."

"You looked like you were about to die on the backstroke. And your splits were insane. Not only did you take the fly out fast, but the backstroke too. Actually, your backstroke looked great technique wise, you just hugged the lane line the whole first fifty, and that last fifty it looked like your legs were hurting."

"Were you in my head the whole race?" I asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"No."

"That's exactly what was going through my head."

Bella laughed. "I think I just know you too well."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"No! Of course not! Go talk to Eddie and warm down. You look like you're about to keel over."

"God, I just wanna go to sleep."

"That can be arranged after you warm down."

"If you insist."

I had to be freaking crazy. Not only was I fatigued, exhausted and sore as hell, I had to swim the damn race _again_. Plus the hundred free semis, and a thirty minute turn around between the two events, max. I didn't know of too many swimmers who could pull that off, and yet, here I was trying to attempt it. No way was I scratching out of the hundred free. Sure, it wasn't my best event, but I actually had a shot at medaling.

I'd just have to deal with the tight time planning and hope for the best. I just had to qualify for the finals in both, time didn't really matter. I wasn't trying to break my world record in the I.M. just place in the top eight. I didn't always have to be in the middle lane. I may have preferred lane five, but any lane really was better than not qualifying. Qualifying at least means you've got a shot.

This whole contemplation occurred within the first two hundred of my warm up. As soon as I got in the pool I knew I was gonna be hurting. Those first few strokes had been sheer hell. My arms still ached, just not quite as badly. Hard to believe I had done a warm down set earlier. It sure as hell didn't feel like it. _And_ I had taken a three hour plus nap. And yet here I was, still sore and still tired.

Tonight was gonna suck.

Somehow I made it through my warm up. Changing into my LZR after was horrible. Just pulling the straps up made my shoulders ache. And I was supposed to go out and swim well in two races? I was gonna die, no doubt about it.

Out in the ready room, I rested my head against Bella's shoulder, not really listening to my iPod, sort of dozing off here and there. I just felt so out of it.

The hundred free was first. A flat out sprint from start to finish. Just like the fifty, except over a longer distance, and you were demanding even more of your muscles.

I had no idea what time my race went off at, but at some point Bella told me to stand up, and the next thing I knew we were behind the blocks. I pulled my sweats off and my caps and goggles on.

I climbed up on the block when I heard the whistle. When we were told to take our marks, I bent down, right foot forward left foot back, in my starting position. When I heard the starter go off, I took off the blocks, entering the water in the tightest streamline I could manage.

After five fast dolphin kicks I switched to freestyle, and then broke the surface and started my arm stroke.

Right away I could feel how fatigued I was. It felt like it took a lot more energy than it should just to get my arms out of the water.

I had to push through it though, and I did. I pushed harder against the water on my pull, and kicked just a little harder. My legs felt like they were weighed down with lead, but I knew that wasn't the case.

I flipped at the wall right on my stroke count. My feet hit the wall squarely and I pushed off hard.

I only did a couple of dolphin kicks before I was back at the surface racing again. I wanted this race to be over already. I was tired, and ready to go back to the village and sleep for awhile. The faster I got this over with the faster it happened.

Five more strokes to the wall. My legs were protesting furiously at me but I ignored them. I could feel the pain starting to act up in the back of my knee when… my hand touched the wall.

One race down, one to go, and god damn, did I freaking hurt. It was worse than it had been this morning, and that's saying something. I could feel the lactic acid in my muscles. I had only a half an hour between this race and the next, and it was going to take at least twenty of them to warm down. That only gave me ten minutes to prepare mentally for the I.M., which was in no way enough time.

Basically, I was screwed. I knew there was no way I could chop my warm down short and swim the semi to the best of my ability. But I also knew a shortened mental preparation time could result in a crappy swim too.

So I swam the longest warm down I could while still getting prepared for the IM in time. Twenty minutes later, my muscles still ached and I only wanted to get this God-forsaken race over with.

I followed Bella out behind the blocks for the final time that evening and climbed up on the blocks. When the gun went off, I rocketed off the block and took off underwater, working my fly as hard as I could while my shoulders screamed at me for pushing them too hard. Gritting my teeth, my hands found the wall and I turned for the next fifty. I could practically feel myself slowing down from the exhaustion.

When I turned for backstroke, I made a conscious effort to turn my arms over faster and kick harder. I don't know if it really helped, but the ache in my muscles made a point of letting itself be known. Biting down on my lip, I slipped at the wall and shoved off hard, squeezing in seven dolphin kicks before I broke to the surface and resumed swimming.

Down the pool I raced the best backstroke I could, my arms churning the water behind me. My aching muscles had simply gone numb, and I began to push myself harder as a result. When I turned for breaststroke, I didn't even bother to worry about my knee. During my pullout, it twinged momentarily. As I started the full stroke, it began to hurt more, though not nearly as bad as it should have been hurting. Instead of letting it deter me, I pushed harder, shoving my arms forward in the water into each glide for the full hundred. I hate to say it, but that was probably the best breaststroke I had ever swam in my life.

When I hit the wall for freestyle, I felt like I was flying. The lactic acid that had built up in my muscles earlier felt nonexistent now, though I knew I would be hurting later if I didn't warm down for a very long time after this race. Building off my impressive breaststroke leg, I powered through the freestyle and hit the wall for the finish to an overwhelming amount of noise.

I shook hands with the others before climbing out. Immediately Bella's arms wrapped around me and she whispered, "You swam that perfectly. I don't think I've ever seen you do better, in fact." She paused for a moment. "It helps that you also set a new world record, but, you know, no big deal or anything."

I couldn't help it, I laughed. And why shouldn't I? I had over a day break between this race and the next time I swam it.

The following evening I could feel the nervous energy pounding in my veins before the finals for the hundred. Just fifty seconds, maybe a little more. C'mon, Cullen, you can do this.

I walked out on the deck with everyone else, and climbed up onto the blocks when the whistle blew. Before I knew it, the starter hit the button and the gun went off and we were racing.

Six fast kicks under water and I came up racing, my arms churning through the water as I powered my way towards the other end of the long course pool. One flip and five more kicks later I was back to the surface, fighting my way through the chop to the open water away from the turn end.

Three strokes, two, one, finish. I ripped my caps off and shook hands with my competitors, trading remarks and congratulations among other things.

When I finally dragged myself out of the water, Bella made it known that I had managed second. The medal ceremony for the hundred wouldn't be until after the IM though, so I at least didn't have to worry about that just yet.

I had an hour break between that race and the two hundred fly finals. I took my time warming down before the medal ceremony. I couldn't help but smile when they placed the silver medal around my neck and listen attentively as the Brazilian national anthem played.

Within minutes of the ceremony, I was back in the ready room, my knee bouncing up and down as I sat there anxiously waiting to swim. One more race tonight, and then sleep, and then one more day of competition.

They finally told us we could parade out onto the deck. I followed the other, stripping off my warm ups behind the blocks and pulling my caps back on.

When I dove in, I made sure to work my underwater kicks. Two fly is one of the longest races to swim, and underwaters are important.

When I did break the surface, my fly felt long and smooth. I swam the seventeen strokes to the wall without once feeling the fatigue left by my other races. When I turned, I shoved off hard, and went back to working my underwaters.

The next fifty felt similar to the first, though my shoulders had begun to ache. By the hundred, I could feel the intense fatigue the week of racing had left me with. I ignored it, and pushed through the final hundred, working it a lot more than the first but keeping my stroke long and fluid.

When I finished, it was once again to raucous cheers. I felt exhausted, like I needed an hour-long warm down and a good night's sleep. I was impressed with my race, however. Apparently Bella was too. She kissed me when I climbed out, in front of all those people, and excitedly told me I had won- and set a new world record.

By the end of the two fly medal ceremony, I felt dead on my feet. My week of hard swimming had caught up with me, and I was definitely ready for this meet to be over. As we traveled back to the Village that night, my head resting on Bella's shoulder, she took my hand and whispered, "one more."

Behind the blocks the following evening, I felt good. I should. I had after all, slept virtually the whole day. The lack of prelims for me that morning had been a blessing. My muscles didn't feel too fatigued, and I was ready. This was the last race I'd swim in as part of the twenty twelve Olympic team. I was ready to race.

I'd had a perfect race in the semis. Now if only I could repeat that here, now.

The official called for us to get on the blocks. And before I knew it, I heard the starter go off.

I shot off the block, and entered the water so fast I could barely noticed the change. It was all so natural now.

My fly felt good- long, smooth, and swift, like it had last night during the two hundred finals. I took that as a good sign.

I hit the wall a stroke sooner than I should have, and turned slower than I would have normally. Why was my stroke count off? It should've been dead on… maybe I got more distance off the block or something. I shook it off. I couldn't let it bother me now. I'd worry about it later.

Towards the end of the hundred, my knee was starting to ache and sting more than it should have been. Was I starting to kick from my knees instead of my hips? I thought I'd managed to stop myself from doing that lately. Maybe not.

I gritted my teeth and dealt with it for the most part. Once I hit the wall and turned for backstroke, I figured I'd get a hundred of partial peace before breaststroke.

God, I was wrong.

If anything, the dolphin kicking on my back just made my knee hurt _more_ not less. I started taking strokes sooner than I should have. Great. This race was not going well at all, and I wasn't even halfway done with it.

I rolled over and flipped on the other wall, I'd adjusted my stroke count to what I thought would be appropriate, but honestly wasn't. I flipped too close to the wall, and just ended up hurting my knee even more when my feet slammed into the tile.

I winced underwater, but pushed myself forward, making sure to do the right number of dolphin kicks. When I came up I gasped for air on my first breath, which immediately told me I had overdone it underwater

Where had my awesome race from the semis gone? I knew I had overdone it then. I caused myself to peak at the wrong time. Now I was paying for it.

I hit the wall dead on my stroke count (finally…) and turned.

I dolphin kicked while simultaneously pulling my arms down to my side, before shooting my hands forward and whip kicking.

That one kick brought so much pain that my eyes started watering and I thought I was going to black out at that exact moment. somehow, I managed to suck it up and make myself keep on going, but I really have no idea how I managed it. It hurt so _badly_. Every stroke I was dying for my hands to find the wall, but they never did until finally my hands made contact with the familiar surface, I turned fast, and pushed off hard. The pullout was the same off this turn as it had been off the other- slow, and agonizing.

Somehow, I managed to make it through that last fifty through a haze of pain. I had to fight to keep myself conscious as well as constantly moving forward. I was so tempted to stop on the breast to free turn, but I didn't. I was gonna finish this race, no matter how much pain I was in. I had to. I had to live up to the promise I had made months ago. I wasn't gonna give up now, just a hundred meters from the end.

I took off underwater, ignoring the awful waves of pain that crashed down on me every hundredth of a second I swam.

I pushed myself onward, pushing harder with each stroke I took. I wanted this to end, and the faster I went, the faster it was over. I figured I had a ton of ground to make up after that crappy first three hundred, and I wasn't giving up until my hand hit that touch pad for the last time here in London.

I flipped hard, planted my feet on the wall, and shoved off as hard as I good. I sprinted as hard as could to get to the other wall. Oh, god, did it hurt. My goggles were filling up with tears now; I couldn't stop that from happening. I had to keep going though.

Finally, _finally_, I hit the touch pad at the end of the pool. I pulled my caps and goggles off and dunked my head underwater so it didn't look like I had been crying, merely that my face was wet.

I couldn't help but wonder if I had gotten last or not. Probably. That race had been _horrible_.

I waited until I heard other swimmers climbing out of the pool before I climbed out myself.

As soon as I put weight on my left knee, my world exploded around me. All I could feel was the pain, pressing down on me from every direction imaginable. I barely felt myself crumble to my knees, but I knew I had to have. And the pain was only getting worse.

I felt my shoulder hit the deck. I heard people screaming my name all around me, even if it did sound extremely distant and faint, I still heard it. I heard people yelling others things too, things I couldn't make out. Other languages possibly? I didn't know. It was becoming too hard to hold onto consciousness.

When an extremely strong tsunami-like wave of pain hit me, I passed out for good.


	34. Chapter 34

**Second to last chapter. I know it's short, but I promise it's cute. Enjoy!**

Chapter Thirty Four

"Edward, where are you taking me?" Bella asked innocently as I pulled her down the London street.

"You'll see." I mumbled evasively.

"Edward, do you even know where you're going?" Bella retorted impatiently. "I mean, c;mon, you're blind for God's sake. This is _so_ not a good idea."

"Fine! Tell me this though- are we near the Westminster bridge?"

"Yeah, we're like two blocks away. You're taking me to see a giant clock?"

"No! Just make sure we get to the bridge."

"Okay…" Bella held on to my arm tightly, steering me through the human traffic.

After a few more minutes of walking. Bella stopped abruptly. "Okay. We're by Big Ben. Now what did you want to show me?"

"What do you see next to the bridge?"

"The Thames?"

I felt like smacking myself in the face. "Trust me, Bella, I think we've seen more than enough water over the last two weeks. What_ else_ do you see?"

"Are you talking about that massive Ferris wheel?"

"Of _course_ I'm talking about the gigantic Ferris wheel. Go on, get in line. I've got tickets."

"You're kidding. Please, tell me you're kidding. We have tickets to ride the London Eye?" Even as she said it, we began walking again.

We stood in line for awhile- I honestly have no idea how long. Bella and I just stood there talking, my arms wrapped around her. When we finally walked into one of the glass pods and started moving, ever so slowly, I borth heard and felt her suck in a breath of excitement.

"Oh, Edward, it's beautiful!"

"I'm glad you approve," I smiled, kissing her hair.

"I mean, this river… it's absolutely stunning." I felt Bella press herself against the glass as she took in the view.

"I can't believe this is our last day here," she said softly. "These last two weeks have been amazing."

"They have," I said slowly, "so long as you ignore my repeated collapsing on the pool deck."

She slapped my shoulder playfully. "Please tell me how you managed to set a world record in that IM considering the state you were in afterwards. Your family was worried sick!"

I shrugged. "We've been over this. I push myself to hard."

"I'll say!" she huffed indignantly.

"Hey, I'm getting surgery done as soon as we get home, remember? My knee'll be better and you won't have to worry anymore."

"Edward, I'll always worry about you. You just don't know how to stay out of trouble."

"True…" she swatted at me playfully again before turning her attention back to the glass.

"You really were amazing though… I'm lucky to know someone like you, Edward," she said after awhile.

For a few moments, I remained quiet before pressing my lips to her ear and whispering, "I love you Bella Swan."

She placed her hand on my arm. "I love you, too."

After several more minutes, she sighed. "Thank you, so much, for everything. Our last day in London… this really is a brilliant way to end it all, but seeing London like this. I can't believe… You're amazing, you know that?"

"Thank you, love," I returned. "But honestly, I wouldn't be here without you. And there's no need to thank me for this. I was more than happy to ensure your getting to see London the proper way."

She pressed back against me, tilting her head up to press it against my chest. "So this is really it, huh? We have to go back to school next week, don't we?"

"You can't say you didn't have an amazing summer."

"No, I guess I can't," she mused quietly. Beneath my feet, I could feel the Eye slowly beginning it's descent towards the world.


	35. Epilouge

**Lat chapter! I hope you all have enjoyed this fic and forgive me for my unacceptable absence. I hope you all like the final chapter!**

Epilogue

Eight years later

"God damn it, Kevin!" I yelled. "Get that rhythm right!"

Kevin groaned. "Edward…."

"Kevin, it's the Olympics. Now's not the time to screw around."

Kevin sighed, and took off; I could hear him trying hard to keep his rhythm steady. Even after four years, he had trouble with it.

I let out a sigh of relief, and rubbed my knee subconsciously. I'd been helping Kevin out with his fly since 2016, right after his first and my last Olympic Games. In spite of my knee surgery after 2012, I'd been having a lot of trouble with my knee in the past few years, and after I had re-injured it during practice right before the 2020 Trials, the doctors told me not to swim in the Trials earlier this year.

Of course, I had been too damn stubborn to listen to him.

I swam, Bella and my six year old daughter, Lizzie, screaming for me in the stands. My knee was hurting so badly during my events, I barely made it past the semis in any event, expect for the hundred fly. I just couldn't get back into my rhythm for any of my strokes. My hundred fly had been my last event, and probably the only event I would be able to get on the team for. Kevin and I had planned to 1-2 in the finals, just like we had back at the 2016 Olympics.

But of course, as it turned out, it was nearly impossible for me to finish the race.

During the semis of the hundred fly, I had such a bad race, I barely qualified for the finals. I ended up adding nearly two seconds to my world record from 2016. The only consolidation was that no one had been able to break my world record.

I was in so much pain by the end of the race, I almost scratched. Bella had hated seeing me in that much pain and I hated making her worry.

But then… Kevin did the best thing he could've done for me.

He was my roommate at the Trials, and he did everything he could to make sure I raced in the finals. He said this would probably be my last Olympics, as much as he didn't want to admit it. Kevin was a great flyer. Hell, he was good at every stroke. Except for freestyle. I spent so many mornings at the pool in the past four years, yelling at him to keep his kick even. He never listened, of course, but in the long run, I knew it ended up paying off. His freestyle had evened out a lot, and his rhythm became more natural, not only for freestyle, but for every stroke.

But then… when he sat next to me in that dorm room at the Trials, reminding me about everything I had done, about everything I had done to help him, I couldn't help but feel motivated to race that night.

Of course, he also joked that it wouldn't have been any fun to swim against the rest of the field, as I was his only competition. That was just Kevin's nature- to get someone fired up as much as possible, and get them really ready by slamming the rest of the competition.

I put my entire heart into that race, but I just couldn't do it. The pain form my knee was so bad, my goggles actually filled with tears. I tried the best I could, and I managed to place third, the best race I had swam all week. But God, by the end, I was in so much freaking pain, all the medication in the world couldn't have made it go away.

Kevin had won, but hadn't come anywhere near my record. I congratulated Kevin. He deserved to be on the team, and I was excited that he had made it. When the 2020 Olympic swim team's head coach, Mark, asked me to be his assistant, right after the Trials, I couldn't refuse.

So I still ended up coming to the Olympics as the assistant coach. I mainly worked with the swimmers on their rhythms and tried to get them to keep their stroke the way it should be.

"Oi, Coach!" Kevin shouted, snapping me out of my reverie. "Anything else you want me to do?"

"Yeah, get out and go get your butt in that ready room. My world record will still stand tonight if you don't get yourself ready for this race."

"You really think I can break your record?" Kevin wasn't very old, nineteen. He had a lot of energy and focus. I had a good feeling that he would break my record.

"Yeah, but not if you don't get out of the pool."

I heard Kevin climb out of the water. He definitely had to be my favorite swimmer to have had the chance to coach. He had spirit, and determination, and did anything he had to achieve his goals.

One of those goals had been breaking my world record, and beating me.

He didn't think it was fair that my knee had cost me these Olympic Games. I still had several good races in me. I mean, I was only twenty-seven. He said that was the only way he'd feel as if he had really beaten me, was if I was racing against him. He really had wanted to prove at the Trials that he was the better swimmer, and if I had come out on top, he wouldn't have cared. He would have just said that it was a great race, and I obviously still had him in a couple of places. But when I came in third at the Trials, and went to congratulate him, he really understood how much that race had cost me, how badly it had hurt to just finish. He and I both knew it was probably the last race of my career.

Mark and I walked up to the coach's box for the start of the meet. Mark promised to give me a play by play of Kevin's swim, his splits, and tell me whether or not he broke the world record.

The hundred fly was the fist event on the program, and as soon as the race started, Mark was yelling in my ear everything that was happening.

"Kevin came up strong, but he was last to the wall." He was a genius at the negative splitting, but in a two lap race, either you showed the speed you had from the very beginning, or you suffer the last lap trying to catch up. "26.33" Mark hollered.

I nodded. God that was a slow time. "Please tell me his picking up the pace a bit."

"Hell yeah!" Mark started screaming for Kevin to go faster. "He's in third," he told me. "Wait, second… no, first!"

Obviously he hadn't been as far back from everyone else as I had thought. The kid was good.

"48.57," Mark told me. "He won!"

I grinned. Yeah, the kid had won. But my record still stood from 2016, 47.01. The time had aggravated me at the time, but now that I think more about it, I realized just how fast it really was.

"C'mon!" Mark yelled, dragging me out the coach's box and down to the pool deck.

"Kevin," I yelled.

"Oh my God." He screamed. I jumped; he had been standing right next to me. "I can't believe I did it!"

I smiled even wider. "Yet you didn't break my record."

"I'll get it next time!" His voice was so full of pride and determination; I actually believed he would take my record from me one day.

"Go warm down!" I yelled. "You've gotta get up on that podium for your medal."

"Oh my God," he said again. "My first gold medal!"

He had taken all silver and bronze back in 2016, second behind me in every event we swam together. We had been roommates then, too. We had become really close friends over the course of the meet, and when he told me where he planned on training for the next four years, I trained there too.

Kevin was just like a younger brother to me, and an older brother to Lizzie.

After the medal ceremony, Kevin placed something cold and round in my hand.

"This should be yours," he told me. I realized it was his gold medal.

"Kevin, I can't… you earned it."

"Edward… if you were swimming out there, you would've won."

"_If_," I emphasized. "I didn't. Keep it. I have enough." I shoved it back in his hand.

"Dude-" Kevin started.

"Kevin!" I'd recognize that voice anywhere. It was my six year old daughter, Lizzie. I heard her running footsteps, and Kevin laugh.

"You swam great!" she told him. "Can you coach me when we get home?" she spoke fast, but we had heard her ask this so many times, to anyone but the three of us it would sound like gibberish.

Lizzie was addicted to the pool. Every morning at three she would run into our room and wake me up and ask me if she could go to my practice. Even with my screwed up knee, I couldn't stop training. She was the only six-year-old who didn't swim for the junior team, and she definitely had talent.

"Sure, kiddo." Kevin told her. "Hey, Edward. Looks like you've got a prospective talent to put all your thought and effort into."

"Daddy," Lizzie squealed. "Can Kevin and you both coach me?" another thing she asked on a regular basis. She loved Kevin like an older brother. That's what he had always been to Lizzie. He would laugh and joke around with her, and if anything happened, he was always right there for her.

Bella hugged me tight, almost comforting me about everything that had happened. I didn't mind. I had absolutely no regrets about any of it. I went to the Olympics twice, two times more than I thought I ever would, and won six golds at each. I'd had a good racing career, and once I got my knee straightened out, I was getting right back in the water. Who cared if I couldn't race again on the Olympic circuit? Maybe I could pull a miracle and make it to Nationals again. Or Worlds.

"Sure, Lizzie," I smiled as she squealed again.

"Daddy, when I grow up, I wanna be just like you and Kevin. I wanna go to the Olympics." She had told me this a thousand times before, too.

But never with so much dedication, so much force to her words.

In that moment, I knew she already had all her dreams planned out, all the medals she would win, and every stroke she would swim. Just before we had left for the Games, Kevin showed her how to swim butterfly, and she had taken to the stroke like a bee to honey. After an hour swimming with Kevin, she was brilliant with it.

In that moment, I knew she was dead serious about what she wanted. Like what she had just said had been set in stone.

In that moment, I knew she would achieve what she wanted.

**I know I skipped a lot, but Edward and Bella got married, and have a daughter. Basically, Edward's life is perfect. He'd swam in two Olympics, has twelve gold medals, and has helped one of his closest friends from the Olympic team get his first gold, too.**

**Kevin is eight years younger, and Edward had always been his idol. When they both started swimming for the same club, Edward coached Kevin a lot when he told him about his Olympic dreams.**

**So… that's it. I had originally planned on writing a sequel about his daughter but I don't think that's a good idea anymore considering my track record when it comes to posting. I know y'all don't want excuses but between my swim schedule and school, it's just not feasible.**

**So, again, I hope you all have enjoyed this story. Thank you so much for reading it. I hope you all watch the Olympics and Paralympics this summer and have an amazing time rejoicing in the athletic triumphs of the best in the world. It really is a feat worth celebrating.**


End file.
